


From Dusk to Dust

by TAngel96



Category: Destiny (Video Game)
Genre: Chaos, Death, Destruction, Gen, The Collapse (Destiny), The Golden Age (Destiny)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-12
Updated: 2018-07-02
Packaged: 2018-09-17 00:18:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 31
Words: 85,936
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9295919
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TAngel96/pseuds/TAngel96
Summary: Humanity never saw it coming.The Traveler brought the Golden Age. Cures from sickness, new technology, new weapons, Exos, everything came from this Age. Humans could travel into space and terraform planets to make way for colonies. The intergalactic empire began. It was an era of greatness and peace.Then, the chaos hit. The Darkness and what was hidden inside of it caused the collapse. The intergalactic empire was brought to shambles. Cities crumbled. Billions of people died. Humanity was on the brink of extinction.And to think, it all started because of three guardians.





	1. Karma Always Finds You

**Author's Note:**

> The story of the collapse isn't included in the video game, so if you haven't played it, it doesn't matter. I explain concepts and key things the game has, but other than that, this is all of my own works. This is my favorite fan fiction to write by far, so I hope you enjoy it as well!

Crowds of people filled the busy street. Some talked to each other, others were on the phone, most weren't paying attention. People were late for work, some rushed to pay bills, others hung out with friends. Loud noises rang in Malachi Hartwell's ears. Cars honked. Civilians yelled from across the way. Dogs barked. Birds chirped. Kids ran around unsupervised by their parents. Fragrances of freshly cooked meals hung in the air and mixed itself in with the aroma of gasoline and excessive perfumes.

He didn't care about any of it. He just had one thing on his mind. Malachi walked in the middle of the crowd with his shoulders hunched over and his head slightly down. His dark brown eyes scanned the area, trying to predict which establishment to hit. The wind rustled through his short brown hair. He wrapped his red sweatshirt around him tighter to keep warm. Malachi checked the small silver watch on his wrist. _Six in the morning._ He watched a man stroll into a side street and head towards home. _Right on time._

Adolf Veinstrucken, a German worker that disobeyed his boss. He let a few of the cargo boxes go missing, along with the cargo still inside. The boss did not appreciate that. He's been suspected of purposely disrupting the business and giving out inside intelligence to other companies. This issue had to be dealt with.

That's where Malachi came in.

He stalked him cautiously, walking behind a group of people to keep Adolf from noticing. This mission had to be handled discretely and without suspicion. He kept his head down low or occasionally pulled out his cell phone to keep on the down low.

Adolf unlocked the apartment complex's front door and strolled inside. Malachi stalled a few seconds before catching the door. He followed the man inside the loud building. Babies screaming, TV's loudly announcing talk shows, music blaring from speakers, this environment was perfect.

When Adolf opened his door, Malachi grabbed him from behind and pushed him inside. He shut the door behind him with his foot and immediately covered Adolf's mouth to keep him from yelling. The man tried to throw him off, but Malachi held him steady. He grabbed the first thing he saw, a small elephant statue, and hit him over the head with it. The blood splattered forward as the man hunched over in pain. Malachi swung again, breaking the statue on the poor man's head. Adolf collapsed onto the ground with a thud, his blue eyes open and blonde hair stained red.

Malachi let out a breath of relief and set the broken piece of statue down. The small stains of blood matched the red on his sweatshirt, so he shrugged off the concern. He glanced in the bathroom mirror before leaving to make sure he didn't have blood on his face. It was only on his black leather gloves, so that wasn't a problem. He took his gloves off after leaving the apartment and placed them in his sweatshirt pocket.

Malachi strolled down the street and walked for half an hour. He left his car at home. He didn't want the cops to be able to pull his license plates off of the street cameras. His hood was up and he ducked away from all the cameras he came across. His face could not be caught on tape. That would mean the police would have a suspect.

He calmly walked behind an apartment building and into the basement. His boss was there for a few hours of every day, just waiting to see the workers he's hired to do his dirty work. Being a human trafficker wasn't easy, but it also wasn't the cleanest work. That's why he hired guys to do it for him.

He entered a small room with a table in the middle. A small fridge sat in the corner next to a sink. A fan whirred on the table, blowing heat around the room. It didn't cool anything off, but it sure tried. A man sat at the table, idly staring at the newspaper in his hands. He had blanked out for a while, lost in the thoughts going through his mind.

Malachi spoke up, "The job is done." The man nodded and wrote down an I-O-U note for Malachi. Malachi shook his head. His anger flared up and he disagreed quite loudly, "You will give me my money now, or I go to the cops. I don't like to be kept waiting every time I deserve my pay."

Mr. Hyangaua stood and pulled out a pistol. Malachi didn't hesitate and brought out a small sawed off shotgun. His brown eyes watched his every move, Malachi twitching his finger around the trigger if the man moved the slightest inch. "Go ahead. Try me," he challenged. The man hesitated. _I have the upper hand now._ He narrowed his eyes and aimed the gun straight at his chest.

Mr. Hyangaua's hand shook for a second. Live or die. Those were his only choices. He set the gun down on the table and sat back down.

 _He chose right._ He holstered his gun in the pocket of his jacket. "For that threat, I want more money," Malachi demanded.

His boss chuckled whole heartedly and wiped away a fake tear. "You're funny, Mr. Hartwell. You're getting what I originally proposed."

"You just _threatened_ my life," Malachi retaliated and pointed an index finger at his own chest for emphasis. He set his hand down and stepped closer. "How good would that look to your customers, who are, by the way, buying fake merchandise for much higher prices? If word got out th-"

"Fine. You get a third extra for emotional damage," Hyangaua remarked and handed the money over. Hyangaua eyed him as Malachi thumbed through the cash to make sure he hadn't cheated him. Mr. Hyangaua grabbed a piece of fruit from the bowl in the center of the table. He tossed the peeled orange skin to the side, chewed on one slice, and said, "There's something that I need you to pick up for me. My intel says it's some new technology that could help improve my business by three thousand percent."

Malachi scoffed, "Why the _hell_ would I do that for you?"

The corners of his lips instantly curled up into a sly smile. His dark eyes glistened in the dim light. "You love a good challenge. A lot of high officials are going to want that piece of equipment."

"Why?" This was starting to sound like a trap. They both knew Malachi was wanted in several states, so giving him up might include a nice sum of cash. Or…Hyangaua was telling the truth. If that was the case, Malachi could easily put the object up for auction and sell it to the highest bidder. That gave Malachi the advantage.

"It's something they have never seen before."

Malachi's eyes formed slits as he contemplated the offer. He had to seem like he was thinking about it, even if he had it all planned out already. He could definitely haggle more money out of Hyangaua. After his little incident a minute ago, he couldn't refuse. He crossed his arms over his chest to make himself seem defensive. "This sounds dangerous. I might even become wanted by the feds."

Mr. Hyangaua scowled until he realized he needed this device. If he was willing to get it, more money would flow into his pocket. A hired freelancer was less expensive than a bounty hunter, and way more productive on their journey. "I'll pay you triple of what you just got since it's a long journey. I want this mission executed quick and without notice from the government. Are we good?"

Malachi grinned and nodded his head. "Yeah. Sure. Give me the coordinates."


	2. Search and Rescue

"Stop," Alaura Petrovich whispered and watched her team down below. She overlooked the whole building complex from her vantage point, which made her job much simpler. Sweat dripped down from her shoulder-length black hair to the side of her temple; she baked in the heavy outfit she wore, but she had to deal with it. The surrounding area had been covered in snow, but her outfit made it unbearably hot. The moon hung high in the sky overhead and lit up the area around the buildings. Her navy blue eyes focused in on the night vision binoculars and she held her breath.

Two guards strolled by the position of her two teammates. The fireteam members stopped in the shadows and hugged the wall. Their breaths stopped short when they heard the order and waited, their fingers ready to pull the gun up at any moment. The guards inched closer.

One step.

Two steps.

Three.

Alaura's teammates took one guard each and dragged them into the shadows. Xavier Jules shot one with his silenced assault rifle, while Sheyla Yan shoved a knife up underneath the other's jaw. The bodies were slowly lowered onto the ground to keep the noise level down. The soldiers moved the blood-stained snow towards the wall to cover up their trail.

Alaura exhaled softly. "Clear."

"After we're done here, we should get some Chinese food," Kai Martinez offered as his brown eyes watched the enemy's movements through a thermal sniper scope. His short dark brown hair flattened against the weight of his helmet. He smiled slyly and stayed low to the ground on the other side of the compound. The shadows shielded him from the moonlight shining on his sweaty tan face. Being the overwatch seemed too boring to him, so he improvised, even if he knew Alaura wouldn't like it.

"I could go for some food. Oooo, Italian!" Xavier whispered into his earpiece. He sucked in a sharp breath as he steadied himself and licked away the sweat falling onto his thick lips. Sweat glistened on his dark skin before they turned the corner into a shadowy area. Xavier's oak-shaded eyes flickered between their surroundings and his partner as he followed her through the alley way towards their destination.

Sheyla remained calm and quiet, tightening her grip on the knife in one hand and a pistol in the other. She crossed her arms in a T formation, positioning the hand with the pistol on top for steadier aim. She never liked using automatic weapons, so she carried a small firearm, and had a grenade launcher on her back for emergencies. Her wide dark eyes matched her long brown hair that had been pulled up into a bun. She came up to Xavier's shoulder and was the shortest person on the fireteam, but she was nimble and could fit into tight places. The guys liked to make jokes and called her the Mole, which she didn't appreciate. Sheyla always got her payback during practice after kicking their asses and yelling curse words in Korean. Sheyla glanced back at Xavier before stopping at the next corner.

Alaura rolled her eyes and reported, "We will decide what to eat on the ride home. Evac is five clicks from here, so we have to finish this mission before the hour is up. Moving out now."  She motioned for Leroy Whitman to move out.  He nodded and started down the hill. A shiver crawled down Alaura's spine as a few snowflakes brushed against her cheeks. "It's fucking cold outside. The enemy won't be expecting us. Use _bounding overwatch_ when we attack."

Xavier chuckled lowly, and Alaura was sure there was a smug smirk on his face.  "When we're done here, I'll keep you warm."

Leroy shook his head in dismay. "Xavier, always flirting." He hoisted his assault rifle up into an easier to access position and trudged on. His piercing blue eyes focused on the bottom of the hill and he huffed when he lost his breath. The belt and sash full of extra ammo weighed his uniform down more than usual, and it took a toll on his lungs. Leroy was getting up there in age, but damn, he was a great soldier.

"In your dreams, Jules," Alaura scoffed.

"I'm going to be sleeping good tonight, then."

Kai commented quickly, "Have some fucking decency, Jules. She's your CO."

"Come on, man. She knows I'm kidding." Xavier nodded towards the other building and made sure the coast was clear.

Sheyla waited patiently for the all clear and whispered, "You're just mad because you got shot down, Xavier."

"Oooo, she speaks!" Leroy exclaimed lowly in surprise.

Sheyla snapped, "I can talk, jackass."

Alaura sighed to herself. She loved being the Commanding Officer and having her own team, but handling all of them together was a totally different story. "Everyone settle down. We have a job to do."

Kai bit his lip as he focused in on Sheyla's area. "You're clear, Yan. Cut their comms." With the all clear in place, Sheyla and Xavier snuck into the building. Cutting the enemy's communications was vital to the mission. It allows the fireteam to move in and out of places sneakily.

Alaura nodded towards the door of the first building they came across. One room per building made it easy to search for the captive. Leroy waited until Alaura was in place against the opposite side of the door and proceeded to open it. Alaura went in first, holding her gun up and toggling on the night vision of her scope.

The pitch black room was silent and unventilated. Walking in there seemed to be like wading through a boiler room full of steam. Alaura held her breath and listened for any kind of movements possible. A breath. A movement. A noise. Nothing arose from the darkness. When she searched the room and found nothing, they moved to the next building.

Building two was the bunkhouse. Alaura held up a fist and Leroy stopped in his place. She motioned to two of the men sleeping on their beds on the left side of the room, causing her teammate to nod understandingly. She took out the knife on her belt and knelt down beside one of the beds. She seemed to stop breathing before shoving the knife into the man's temple. She pulled the knife out slowly and held his head on the bed to keep it from making any sound.

Alaura moved to the next bed and settled there for a second to breathe. The man in the bed stirred and woke up, and Alaura quickly shoved her hand onto his mouth to muffle his yell. She held him down and struggled to keep him there. He grabbed her arm and put his hand to her throat, but to no avail. His attempt wouldn't work. She shoved the knife up his jaw, causing him to twitch and finally fall down lifeless. Alaura shook his grip off of her and nodded to Leroy that she was okay. They cleared the building and moved onto the next.

Three. Empty.

Four. Full of weapons, but empty.

The captive, an important US ambassador, huddled in the corner of the fifth building, tears streaming down his dirty face. His hands were bound behind his back and his wrists were bloody from his attempts to escape. Dirt smeared over his clean white shirt and his normally straight tie hung loose around his neck. The captive's left eye was bruised and a cut lined his cheek. This guy tried to fight back. Alaura respected that.

Leroy knelt down beside him and whispered the plan as he let him loose. The captive nodded and almost spoke until Alaura shushed him. The operation needed to remain silent and not alert any of the enemy forces. Nothing could go wrong.

Alaura whispered on comms, "Got the hostage. Moving out." Leroy nudged the captive in between them for maximum protection. If any bullets were to fly, the captive would be shielded.

The group exited the building and stayed along the wall. The moon touched the ends of their boots, so they were a bit more noticeable than they wanted. They moved passed a few buildings, slowly working their way back to where Kai was.

"Don't move," Kai stressed each syllable over comms. He watched Alaura's group hold position and zoomed out on the scope of his sniper rifle. Something wasn't right. There was movement in the shadows, but he couldn't make out what it was. The building blocked his view.

Everything on communications stayed silent, the silence buzzing in Alaura's empty ear. The seconds ticked by, but nothing could be heard. No footsteps, breathing, talking, or growling from dogs. The coast seemed clear enough. "Kai, are we clear?" Alaura questioned quietly.

"Take cover!" Kai yelled into comms.

A flashbang was thrown in between the trio and went off, causing a blinding light to appear. Alaura and Leroy pushed the ambassador back around the corner and down to the ground. Both teammates knelt down beside him. All of them stumbled to get a grasp on the situation, leaning up against the wall and floor to hold themselves steady. Alaura opened her eyes, but she couldn't see anything. Her ears rang and popped as if she had just moved to a higher elevation. She held onto her gun and blinked a few times. Her eyesight came back, but everything was moving and too blurry for her to comprehend.

"Alaura! Alaura, do you copy?" Kai called out. He saw someone move out of the shadows and shot them in the chest. Their body fell to the ground in seconds. "Yan, Jules, cover them! I can't see shit from up here."

"Ten-four, Martinez," Xavier answered and chucked a grenade near the wall where the flashbang came from. An enemy soldier went flying and slid across the ground. The corpse's arm had been blown off and metal had struck his chest.

Alaura's hearing came back and she spoke groggily, "Light 'em up. _No one_ leaves here alive." When her eyes adjusted, she peered around the corner. The buildings were pretty far, and god knows how many enemies there were. She nodded to Leroy, who returned the gesture and tapped the captive's shoulder. Alaura took in a few deep breaths before getting a good grip on her weapon. She then charged behind another building's wall. Gun shots rang out and launched at her, but she kept her pace and dove for the safe zone. Leroy and the captive followed after her, getting to safety on time.

Yan and Jules took that as a cue to move up as well. Jules moved to the next barrier, a wall, and ducked down. Yan shot at the enemy a few times and hit her back against the wall. Gunshots were fired from the opposing side and nicked Yan's finger. She cringed and moved to Jules.

Bounding Overwatch was a soldier's game of leapfrog. One team would advance while the other provides cover. Kai came in handy because he was the eagle watching from overhead with a sniper rifle. Alaura loved using the tactic in situations like this. She motioned Leroy to move up while Jules and Yan fired shots that took a few men down.

When Alaura and Leroy got to the new cover, the captive broke down. He didn't want to move anymore and mumbled things to himself. His mumbling couldn't be heard over the gunfire, so they were stuck. Alaura chucked a grenade at the building and then knelt down next to the politician. "We have to move. You have to trust us to get you out of here alive," she urged him and glanced at Leroy, who was advising they move up quickly. The ambassador was hesitant, but quickly agreed when Yan started yelling at them in Korean. The mission was too important to mess up now.

A loud explosion boomed and made all of the earpieces screech an ungodly noise. The whole fireteam cried out and stood their ground until it settled down. What came after that only made everything worse.

Kai screamed out in sheer pain so loud that it echoed down to where the team was. He grunted and forced himself to stop screaming, leaving the sound of ragged breaths over comms. He grit his teeth and barely spoke, "Shit…damn rocket…hit me…"

Alaura snapped to attention and took initiative to run to the next spot before Leroy. She rolled at the end to avoid bullets that were getting a little too low for her liking. "Hold on, we'll work our way to you. You better be alive when we get there, Martinez." Alaura observed the situation and realized they were really close to the building now. One more surge up and they were in. "Jules, Yan, clear the building."

"On it," Sheyla Yan answered, and followed Jules into the building.

Alaura and Leroy ushered the ambassador up the mountain leading to Martinez. Her heart pounded against her chest and in her ears. Her pulse would throw her off as she tried to listen for where he was, but came up with nothing. Alaura ran ahead, yet she couldn't see anything in the dark. She scrambled to higher ground and called out, "Kai?"

"H-here…" he clicked the flashlight he had on and off, signaling where he was located. Alaura jumped down and checked him for wounds. Shrapnel grazed his face, leaving a cut along his cheek. A piece of metal pierced through his right shoulder, allowing blood to spill all over his suit. He cracked a small smile when Alaura locked eyes with him. Kai chuckled, "I'm…not dead."

"Good, stay that way," Alaura stated and put pressure on his wound. Blood soaked through her fingers and she took out a piece of cloth from her pant pocket. She cleaned up some of the blood as Kai cringed and cried out in agony. There was so much blood. Alaura's expression dropped and her voice shook, "Don't give up on me. You hear me?"

"Yes…ma'am…" Kai trailed off and closed his eyes. He kept his pain at bay, but his breathing was uncontrollable. It seemed like he was drowning in a nonexistent ocean.

Leroy tended to Kai's wound and sprayed alcohol on it. Kai screamed and clenched his jaw tightly to stop himself. Leroy glanced around at the shrapnel left behind and felt the temperature of a piece.

Hot enough to use. Perfect.

"Martinez, this is going to hurt. A lot." Leroy took out the metal from Kai's shoulder and pushed the hot metal against his wound. Martinez cried out and grunted before laying back. He was drenched in sweat at this point and couldn't take any more pain. Leroy took the metal away and looked over the wound. His skin melted together in a jumbled mess. "Stopped the bleeding for now. Not sure if there's any internal bleeding." Leroy glanced back at Alaura and shook his head. "We need the gurney. There's no way he can walk to the extraction zone. He should live until we get there."

Alaura nodded and took the makeshift gurney out of Leroy's bag. The metal rods linked together and made sure the fabric stretched out across the whole thing. It was a prototype in the field at this point, and she hoped it worked. She wasn't going to leave Kai. _He'll live. He'll make it._ She thought.

Xavier and Sheyla hiked up the mountain quickly and met up with the rest of the group. They moved through some of the bushes, causing sticks to snap under their feet. The snow fell off of the bush and onto the ground, adding to the overwhelming snow fall. An overwhelming smell of sulfur followed their arrival. The grenades that went off really must've stuck the smell to their clothing. Xavier looked at all of them worriedly, "Is he okay?"

Alaura pointed at Kai and narrowed her eyes, "No more talking. Focus on yourself." She turned back to the other two team members and nodded, "He'll get through this if we get to evac on time. Jules, will you help me carry him on the gurney?"

Xavier nodded and set Kai on the gurney. Sheyla wrapped Kai up in a blanket and helped lift him up. She held it there while Alaura took off her heavy jacket and gave it to the ambassador. He must've been freezing out there in the cold, and she told her superiors she would protect him at all costs. She adjusted her black sweater and took hold of the other end of the gurney.

They walked for forty minutes, listening to Kai groan in agony. Every move made the shrapnel twitch, causing more pain. The fireteam forced their way through the cold wind and snow. The cold froze their noses and their muscles ached. The woods around them was filled with noises like birds singing their babies to sleep or crickets chirping. Small rabbits and a few deer almost crossed their path, but ran the other way once they saw the team.

Alaura's limbs were freezing and the sweat that had once arose from the firefight turned into tiny icicles on her skin. She glimpsed around once they got to the landing zone and set Kai down. She cupped her hands close to her mouth and exhaled, bringing warmth to her cold skin. "What time is it?"

"Time for evac to get us the fuck out of here," Xavier responded in a slightly annoyed fashion. He looked the perimeter over from where he was to make sure they weren't followed.

Alaura knelt down next to Kai and smiled, "You haven't given up yet. You can make it." This was good. No casualties on her team. Another successful mission. Her superiors would be pleased.

"Well…it…it was an order," he grinned slightly and winced from moving. Alaura wiped some sweat away from his face and Kai flinched from her cold hand.

Alaura looked up when she heard the sound of a chopper in bound. The light shined on the team and she waved to them. They slowly descended from the sky and landed, allowing the team to get on board and go to the closest army hospital in the vicinity.


	3. The Weak Stands Strong

_I'm at the edge of the world._

_Where do I go from here?_

_Do I disappear?_

_Edge of the world._

_Should I sink or swim?_

_Or simply disappear?_

Music blared into Tanis' eardrums as he laid sprawled across his bed. His mind got lost in the world the song put him in. It spoke to him. Connected with him on a personal level. He was on the edge of the world and he knew it wouldn't last.

Tanis coughed and felt his weak bones shake. He moved his hand to his mouth to cover his cough and found his skin extremely pale.

It was happening again.

He groaned and closed his eyes out of sheer despair. He would never forget the day his life changed forever.

His doctor took his dad outside for the news first. After hearing it, he couldn't even come back inside the hospital room. Tanis, at the age of fifteen, was left alone to hear the dreadful news. The doctor said it was Chronic Myeloid Leukemia, but all Tanis heard was death. He went through a ton of treatments and eventually got better, but then it came back.

He was terminally ill, and nothing could be done. The disease was caught three years too late. The symptoms never showed this time around and it only caused his imminent doom. He was going to be in stage three in the next few months, where the cancer would screw his system up in many ways. There was no point in getting treatment. None of it would make a difference. He took multiple medicines the doctor prescribed, but other than that, he was hopeless.

Tanis opened his chestnut brown eyes and forced himself to sit up. He hated remembering that day. He hated how his father wasn't there when the doctor told him. He hated too many things to count.

He glanced around his empty room. Gray walls, light brown carpet, a couple of ACDC and Metallica posters, and a desk in the corner accompanied by a chair and a charging laptop. That was it. The closet was half full of plain clothes. The room matched him. Empty. Bland. Unimportant.

Everything his dad made him feel.

His dad, Dr. Hardin, didn't care. He was too obsessed with his work to be an actual father. If you look up "Prick" in the dictionary, his name would probably be there. Time after time, Tanis tried to get his attention, and to no avail. Nothing seemed to be good enough.

Tanis practically raised himself after his mother left. His parents always fought and broke furniture. Those nights usually consisted of them screaming at each other and Tanis hiding in his bedroom. His mother couldn't stand being around his father, or Tanis for that matter, and decided to leave. Friends and partying seemed more important to her.

It didn't really matter anymore. Tanis hated them both for what they've done. Abandonment, neglect, oh, and how could he forget? They named him _Tanis._ They both set him up for a future of torture from kids and questions from teachers.

Some part of him felt like this was all his fault. He was terminally ill. Even after finding out, his father could care less. Maybe he wasn't a good enough son. That could be why his parents never spent time with him. Maybe the neglect rubbed off on him in a negative way and that's why he couldn't keep most of his friends. Or maybe it was just the fact that he was beginning to lose his hair and body functions. He wasn't sure anymore. Everything felt so overwhelming and complicated.

He just wanted to go back to the good old days when his parents got along and his life was great. Friends. Family. A future. He had the whole package.

Then life snatched it right from his grasp.

Tanis wanted to get out. Explore the world. Get away from his dad and his home. Meet new people. Taste new food. Take in the gorgeous views of places in person. He wanted to do so many things before he died.

Some people had all the luck.

Tanis…well, he didn't.

He was twenty-five, but his father wouldn't let him travel the world alone. Not like that. Tanis had been taking small amounts of money from his father's account for a while, slowly accumulating more and more until he finally got enough to leave. That would be the day where he could truly live his life the way he wanted to. That was the dream for him.

He forced himself up and made his way to the kitchen. Tanis grabbed his pills and chugged them down with some water. He wiped his mouth as he set the cup down with shaking hands. The pills helped take the symptoms away for a few hours and made him feel healthy again, but the sick feeling would always come back.

Tanis slowly went down to the basement where his dad worked. The room had equipment piled from wall to wall, lighting up and buzzing cohesively. Bright white lights lit the room, causing Tanis to shield his sensitive eyes for a few seconds. Papers scattered over the metal table in the middle of the room. Some had depictions of a small object. Others had algorithms and numbers scribbled all over it. The computers on one side of the room had a map and a target locked on. Something was pulsating energy, but the object didn't move.

Tanis glanced over at his father, who stood scribbling down more notes by the radar screen. Dr. Hardin's blond comb over stuck up in a lazy fashion, almost like he had run his hands through it countless times. His brown eyes stuck to the screen, while his hand moved as fast as it could recording numbers and pulses. His white shirt appeared dirty from spilt food and sweat. He stretched his legs out in his brown pants, his black shoes screeched against the tiled floor.

Tanis set his hand on the table to steady himself and he called out to his father, "I'm going to the hospital for my checkup."

Nothing. His father didn't even pay attention.

Tanis grew slightly annoyed and spoke up again, "You said tell you when I'm leaving. I am."

Silence and scribbling.

He turned around and rolled his eyes. Typical. He whispered under his breath, "Of course. When I don't tell him something, he gets on my case. But when he ignores me, _oh no_ , it's my fault." He scoffed and started back up the stairs until his father turned around.

"Tanis, I didn't hear you come in," Dr. Hardin said in a scratchy voice. He cleared his throat and set his scribbled notes on the table with the rest of the papers. "You will not believe what I just found! This could change science as we know it. This could change _everything_."

Tanis closed his eyes for a second in annoyance and turned around to face his father. He hadn't explained any of his research to him in a while. Dr. Hardin's last test didn't pan out so well, so maybe this new one inspired him to share. Either way, why should Tanis give a rat's ass? Not like his father paid attention to anything he cared about. Tanis reluctantly asked, "What is it?"

"I don't know what it is." Dr. Hardin bit his lip and played with his small amount of hair in thought. "It emits energy like crazy! This much energy could help generate power for this whole block if we used it correctly. The question is, what exactly is this object?"

"That sounds very interesting, Dad," Tanis nodded genuinely. _An object like that could sell for a bunch of money. I could get out of here with it._ He thought to himself.

Dr. Hardin turned around to face the monitor. "It's in the middle of nowhere. Maybe some ancient ruins. I don't know exactly where…" His finger scanned the map he pulled up on the computer to match the coordinates. "I'm going to head out there to see if I can take it. The map isn't showing any cities or towns there. This could be the biggest breakthrough of my career!"

Tanis perked up at the travel aspect. He raised his eyebrows and questioned, "Can I come out there with you?"

"What? No. Don't be silly, Tanis. You have to stay here."

Tanis furrowed his brow and shook his head. He didn't want to fight about this. He wanted to travel, and this was the perfect opportunity, with or without his father. "No. I want to go. I could even pick it up myself. It won't be hard."

Dr. Hardin sighed, "No, Tanis. You are not going. End of discussion."

 _End of discussion. Just like that. I can't believe him. After all he's put me through, he won't even let me accompany him? I'm locked down in this house? No. That's not going to be how I live._ Tanis angrily huffed and curled up his hands into fists. He walked up the stairs and out the door. _I'll just wait it out until he sleeps. That's when I'll show him he doesn't control me._

 

This could finally get him out of the house. Tanis wasn't going to pass the opportunity up. He only had so long to live, so might as well make the best of it. Plus, he could finally say he traveled out of the country! Seeing new sights was always a dream of his.

Tanis got out of bed and stuffed a few things in his backpack. Clothes, phone charger, pills, some soap, and his toothbrush all went into the backpack. He took out money he had been stashing behind his desk and stuffed it into the front pocket. Tanis stared at his room, saying goodbye to his dull life for a few days and heading straight into a new exciting one. He snuck down the stairs, trying not to make a peep. His pills helped keep himself composed enough to where he could control his body and his coughing fits ceased.

When he got to the kitchen, he found the light still on and his dad sleeping with his head on the table. He had fallen asleep while trying to snack on peanuts and write all over the map from earlier to pinpoint the location of the object. Tanis slowly took the map from the table stealthily and smiled.

This was it.

The beginning of a new adventure.


	4. Relic of Hope

This adventure was turning into a nightmare.

The object was in the sand dunes of the Libyan Desert. The sand rose and fell at great heights, the small breeze causing some sand to stumble down the dunes. Different shades of tan and orange spread across the horizon. The sun beat down on the land, causing Tanis to sweat immensely. He fixed the hat on his head and pushed on, leading the camel to his destination. He remembered to stock up a lot of food and water for this trip, even though he had a little trouble at the shop.

Tanis got bored of looking out into the empty land and silence, so he started talking to himself, "It's great to get out of the house and all, but why couldn't it have been somewhere tropical? Noooooo, this had to be in the middle of freaking nowhere!" He pet the camel's neck and sighed, "At least I've got you. You won't ignore me, right buddy?" The camel made a noise and laid its neck back for a second to feel his touch. Tanis smiled a bit and pet the animal more.

Before he knew it, they were there.

"Too bad there isn't an X to mark the spot," Tanis said lowly as he wiped some sweat away. He put some water in a bowl for the camel to drink out of and then glanced around. Nothing but sand, sand, and more sand.

The object was buried, and he hoped it wasn't too far down. He knelt down and ran his hands through the sand to get adjusted to the heat. He cringed and retracted his hands when it got to be too much, but he continued. He needed this object more than he thought he did. Tanis began to dig down.

This was it. His new future was going to be great.

 

Malachi peered down from the large sand dune he was on and saw somebody at the bottom. He dropped down immediately and placed his sniper rifle on the very edge. He  quickly brushed off some sweat and waited for his brown eyes to adjust to the lens. Malachi zoomed in on his sniper's scope. He watched the person carefully and saw him dig down where the item was located. "Shit," he whispered to himself. _If he's here, someone else must be looking for it. This place is desolate. There's no way he'd just be wandering around._ He contemplated and peeked up from his gun.

"Damn it." Malachi got up and slung the sniper rifle on his shoulder. He brushed some of the sand off of his white shirt and dark jeans, but some of it still stuck to his clothes. He stepped carefully down the sand dune, making sure the man at the bottom didn't spot him. Tanis was too busy shoveling sand with his hands to notice.

He pulled out his pistol from its holster and pointed it at the guy. "What you're digging for isn't for you," he declared and turned the safety off.

Tanis looked up and stopped his action for a moment. He didn't make a move and furrowed his eyebrows. "No one owns it. Otherwise, it wouldn't be here."

Malachi slyly grinned at his words. "I think we can both agree that the object belongs to me."

"Hey man, if you want it, you can have it. Just le-" Tanis coughed and hacked up some blood. He spit it out in the sand next to him and groaned. He hadn't taken his medicine yet and the heat didn't make his sickness any better.

Malachi's eyebrows knit together and he almost put his gun down. He didn't want to attack a sick person, but if he put the gun away, the guy might attack. Then again, he might be too weak to. "I'll let you go if you dig it out for me."

Tanis scoffed and grimaced. "Do the dirty work and get nothing? Sounds fair to me," he remarked sarcastically. He didn't spend his money to come out here for nothing. The money he could get for this was far more than he could even imagine. But, this guy held a gun to him, so there was no getting out of this. He reluctantly kept digging, the heat licking his fingertips.

After a few minutes, he pulled out an object the size of his hand. The white stained metal shined in the sunlight and reflected some of its rays into Tanis' eyes. He squinted and asked, "Is this it?"

Malachi pulled out a handheld energy reader his buyer gave him. He faced it towards the object and focused on the reader. The numbers jumped up from 0 so fast that it had to be what they were looking for. The energy made the reader spazz out so much that it glitched and shut itself off. Malachi peered down at Tanis, who was sweating and weak from exhaustion. He threw the energy reader aside and put his gun in its holster. "That's it. Now give it to me."

Tanis inspected it and raised an eyebrow. It seemed to glow, but he thought his eyes were playing tricks on him. He might've been hallucinating. "What do you think it is?"

"I don't know, and I don't care. Give it to me," Malachi demanded. He stepped closer to Tanis and held his hand out. He wasn't going to leave empty handed, not when that much money was on the table.

 

Alaura watched the two knuckleheads through binoculars from the dune-side. After her successful mission, her superiors sent her to these coordinates looking for something that could _change wars forever_ or _create everlasting peace_. Either choice was good enough for her.

There was no way she was letting this opportunity slip from her grasp. The shorter man looked pale and sickly, so there was no need to fight him. She doubted he could even fight for himself. The taller man looked experienced… Maybe even a little too experienced. _He might be more of a challenge._ She thought and started to make her way down there. The two men were bickering about the object, and them being distracted might be enough for her to slip in undetected.

She moved her scarf to cover the lower half of her face to protect her from the flying sand. This was going to get messy. The two men held the object and yelled louder at each other. Malachi clearly didn't want to hurt Tanis.

Alaura jumped in and elbowed Malachi in the chest. He stumbled backwards in surprise, allowing her to snatch the object out of Tanis' grasp. She sprinted up the sand dune she came from in an effort to get back to her car. The car was pretty far, but she thought she could make it. She heard the two men running after her, which caused her to move faster. Adrenaline pumped through her system and the rush energized her.

When she got to the top, Malachi tackled her, causing both of them to roll down the other side of the sand dune. They grunted and tried to get a grip on something, but they continued to fall. Malachi twisted Alaura's wrist and reached for the object, but it ended up flying down farther down the way.

They hit soft sand at the bottom of the dune. Malachi got up and tried to go for the object. Alaura pushed herself up and sprinted towards him. She yanked him back by his short brown hair and got a better grip on his arm to throw him down on the ground. He reached for his pistol and she kicked it out of his hand before he could shoot. "Stay. Down," she spoke through gritted teeth.

Malachi yanked on Alaura's ankle and made her face plant into the ground. He got up and took his gun from the sand. He ran towards the object, only to find Tanis already picking it up and making a run for it. Malachi snatched his pistol out of its holster and aimed it at the man. He shot at the area around his feet as a warning shot to show he's not playing around. When Tanis didn't stop, Malachi cussed under his breath and went after him.

Alaura spit some dirt out and cringed as she got up and followed them. She wiped her tongue of the disgusting, tasteless sand and cursed the two out in her mind. This mission was supposed to be simple, and they had to go and screw it up.

Tanis' footing didn't have traction and he slipped midway up the sand dune. Malachi waited for him at the bottom, pistol pointed right at him as he fell. Tanis scrambled up when he realized he was at Malachi's feet and gazed at him in fear. "Well, I didn't want to do this, man, but you've given me no other choice," Malachi declared, putting his finger near the trigger.

Alaura pointed a gun at the back of Malachi's head and clicked the safety off. "You're not really going to shoot a defenseless guy. Not really fair if you ask me," she said and stepped closer. She glanced over the two men with her blue eyes and saw Tanis was the one with the object. She moved next to the two men so she could see them clearly. Nothing was getting passed her.

Malachi pointed his gun at Alaura and focused his dark brown eyes on her. His lips curled up as he scowled, "I'll shoot you instead." Alaura didn't hold back and kept her stance, glaring at him with fiery intensity.

Tanis stared at both of them with wide eyes and gulped. He took a step back and tried to slowly sneak away. Malachi took the sniper rifle off of his back and aimed it at him.

Alaura pulled out another pistol and focused it on Tanis. She narrowed her eyes, glimpsing between the two men. "Put the artifact down, and you can leave. I won't let this guy hurt you."

Tanis shook his head and held the object in his hand with a tight grip. "He won't shoot me. Just let me go," he pleaded. He didn't take another step just in case Malachi did shoot.

Malachi grunted in a semi-laugh, "You really wanna try me?"

"Put the fucking gun down, and you," she waved her second gun at Tanis, "put the object on the sand." Alaura wasn't playing around. Imagine the promotion that came with this successful mission. That would be even more benefits for her family. Might even be enough money to take Kai on a vacation while he was on leave.

The trio sat in silence and their bodies tensed up. No one here was adamant on leaving without the object. The wind swept through their hair and made sand hit their face. The sun showered them in heat and sweat drenched their clothes. Malachi put his sniper rifle on his shoulder, but kept his gun faced towards Alaura. "How about you put your gun down, and we can talk this out, sweetheart."

Alaura cringed and didn't move from her spot. She nodded, but spoke up, "You first."

Malachi's eyes narrowed slightly before twirling the gun in his hand and set it in its holster. Alaura reluctantly put her pistol away and waited. There was no way they were going to talk this out like adults. Tanis stood idle, cautious not to make a move in case Malachi whipped his gun out again. Malachi eyed Alaura and his hand twitched. She noticed his impatience and got herself ready.

Malachi launched towards Tanis, and Alaura was hot on his heels. All three of them grabbed the object at the same time. The object started to glow, the light breaking through their fingers. It released a strong, blinding light and all three of them dropped it. They stumbled backwards and fell to the ground after shielding their eyes. A loud ringing sound drowned out everything else, causing them to cry out in pain.

 _What the hell?_ All three of them thought to themselves. They rubbed their eyes and muttered to themselves under their breaths.

Tanis was the first to get his eyesight back and he snatched up the object. He stumbled up the sand dune and slid down the other side before the other two got a hold of themselves. He coughed a couple of times and hopped onto the camel. The camel groaned and started running in the other direction.

Alaura was the next one to get her sight back. She ran up the dune to see where Tanis went, but the dune wasn't tall enough to see over the others. She yelled out in frustration and ran to another dune. By the time she got to the top, it was too late. He was behind another dune in any of the directions. She glanced back to see where Malachi was, but he had disappeared too.

This defining moment in her life was a failure.


	5. The Arrival

_2 weeks later…_

Alaura's phone buzzed against the chair she was sleeping in. She opened her groggy eyes and had them adjust before reaching for her phone. The hospital room was cold and silent. The white blinds were still closed, indicating it was still dark outside. She exhaled softly and looked over at Kai, who was sleeping in the hospital bed next to her. Alaura took her hand off of Kai's to answer the call.

"Turn on your television, now!" Lydia screamed through the phone, causing Alaura to cringe in pain. Lydia hardly ever called her, for they both worked too much. Alaura was almost always out of the country, and Lydia worked herself too much at NASA. They retained their friendship by patience and meeting every few months, whether it be by phone or video call.

"Okay, okay, jeez…" Alaura got up from her bed, rubbing her eyes tiredly. She glanced over at the clock. _Two in the morning? Are you kidding me?_ She thought bitterly and shuffled to get the television remote to turn it on. She whispered into the phone, "What's so important at two in the morning?"

The screen lit up, bringing up a news broadcast. Alaura's breath hitched and she couldn't believe her eyes.

"That," Lydia answered simply.

"What the fuck…" Alaura brushed a few stray strands of black hair out of her eyes and stared at the television in amazement.

A live video camera feed came from Mars. Two astronauts stood at the third astronaut's side, their eyes fixated on what was in front of them. The camera feed turned to what their attention was on, and it seemed like all of their breathing and talking went silent. A giant, white sphere hung in the low atmosphere of Mars. The light shined on it and through the clouds. A deep rumble could be heard and flashes of lightning strikes touched down. Rain fell from the sky onto the surface of the red dirt planet.

 _Rain. There's rain on Mars. What the…? How…?_ Alaura was at a loss for words. Her thoughts jumbled all together. She paused the news report on the view of the white sphere. "What is that thing? What is it doing?"

Lydia stayed silent for a moment. What could she say? No one really knew. "Come over to my apartment."

"I'll be there in half an hour." With that, Alaura hung up. She glanced down at her hands and stumbled backwards. They glowed a bright blue color. _What…?_ Alaura panicked and hit the wall, causing it to rumble and the television to shake on its hinges. She stood still for a moment, taking in what just happened. She didn't hit the wall with that much force, yet everything fell like an earthquake just occurred. Her wallet shook its way off of the table and fell, spilling the pictures she had inside.

Alaura glanced over at Kai, who awoke to the noise. He blinked a few times and questioned groggily, "Are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine. I just…I just knocked into the wall. I'm sorry. Go back to sleep," she ushered and he complied sleepily. She knelt down to pick up her wallet and the fallen pictures.

The pictures were of her little brother and mother. It only reminded her of how much of a failure of a sister she was. Her mother never made much money, so Alaura joined the army when she was of age. It was a steady check, and her family could live in a good house. It was safe. Steady. Something she never had when she was little. Her little brother missed her dearly and they never spent any time together. Sometimes she wondered if he hated her for it.

Alaura squished her face with her hands and shook her head to attempt to wake herself up. _This has got to be a dream…Wake up. Wake up._ The unfortunate thing was, she was already awake. None of this was a dream.

She grabbed her wallet and her keys and walked out of the hospital room.

 

When Alaura strolled into Lydia's apartment, she wanted to walk right back out. It was a disaster. Papers scattered around the floor and tables, dirty plates sat in a pile on one of the chairs, and clothes were thrown about in the corner. The room smelled of old food and dirt.

Lydia's green eyes were underlined in dark circles, and the white in them had turned red from lack of sleep. Her blonde hair hung up in a messy bun, hairs sticking out in each direction. Her glasses hung crookedly and she twitched every now and then. A fresh cup of coffee sat on one of the papers, leaving a dark ring on it. Her pajama shirt had a couple food stains on it, and she had her pants rolled up to her knees. "There you are! Oh boy, do I need to talk to someone!"

Alaura's eyebrow hitched and a sense of worry was hinted in her voice, "How long have you been in your apartment?" She set her keys on the side table next to the door. Alaura had to move some of the papers to be able to sit down on the ground.

Lydia shrugged, "Few days. Maybe a week. I haven't been counting. Too busy." She flinched and looked up at Alaura from the floor, "I've been here studying this thing. Watching its movements. Trying to see what it is or how it works."

"Have you been taking care of yourself?"

Lydia hesitated, but decided to tell the truth. "I…I forget to eat at times. And…take a shower, but that isn't the point! I was cooped up at the office for two weeks before I came home. We've been too busy with this." She waved her hand at all of the papers surrounding her apartment.

"Then why hasn't this been shown to the public? It's something huge, both literally and figuratively," Alaura questioned, glancing down at some of the pictures. Some shots were from deep space, others off the atmosphere of Mars. _Where did it come from?_

"We didn't want everyone to freak out. You know how everyone gets when someone mentions _aliens_ or something entirely different." Lydia showed her a letter from the President. "There's going to be a press conference tomorrow about it. Our team has to have some inkling of what this is before then."

Alaura exchanged papers with her and pointed at the giant orb before reading the letter. "Then what is this…thing? How is it raining on _Mars_?"

"Whatever it is, it's somehow terraforming the planets in our solar system. The radiation on Mars is clear, there's water, air, and other resources. It's truly fascinating!" She buzzed in her spot. Either that was the coffee buzz, or just lack of sleep adrenaline buzz. Lydia's excitement and curiosity seemed to radiate off of her.

Alaura set the paper down and furrowed her eyebrows together in confusion. She used her right hand to stop her friend before she could go any further, "Wait, this thing has been to other planets already?"

Lydia nodded and continued, "After Mars, it went to Mercury. Venus. Now, it's on its way here. Scientists are calling it _The Traveler_. This thing…it radiates a ton of energy, like off the scales." She scrambled around for another file to show Alaura, but failed to find it in the mess. She sat back down and finished what she was going to say. "We're prepping a robot to go to Venus right now. Satellite images say that the skies are clear and oxygen levels are stable. It's habitable. All the planets The Traveler leaves are habitable."

"Wait, wait, wait. It's on its way _here_?" Alaura seemed a little unsettled about it. _That…thing is on its way here. Who's to say it won't destroy us or something? Cause the apocalypse to give the Earth a fresh start!_ She stopped herself and cleared her mind immediately. It was silly to jump to drastic conclusions like that.

Lydia quickly reassured her, "It isn't going to hurt us! It's coming peacefully…"

"And how do you know that?" She looked at Lydia and waited for some sort of proof. There had to be something. If Lydia was trying to convince her of it being safe, then she knows a lot more than she's letting on.

"When it left Venus, it sent us messages. NASA's labs are full of schematics and you won't believe what's on them," Lydia grinned from ear-to-ear, her eyes widening in delight. Just the thought of it made her light up.

Alaura waited, but when Lydia didn't answer, she asked, "Well? Don't keep me hanging." All of this was so new and frightening, but it would change history forever. She knew that much. Everything humans thought they knew about what's in space was about to be thrown out.

"Advanced technology," Lydia put simply. She yawned and tried to maintain her excited composure, but exhaustion crept up on her muscles.

"Like?"

Lydia grabbed a list from the pile. She read it over and set it aside before speaking again, "Robots. Vehicles. Space ships. Weapons…and a way to triple the human life span."

Alaura's eyes widened and her voice cracked, "You're kidding." She cleared her throat in embarrassment and waited eagerly for a response.

"No! We have all the schematics. Scientists are working on them now. If this all works out, we can send colonies to the other planets, and it won't take months to get there. The new ships provide a faster way of flying. You don't know how incredible this is!"

"No…no. I do know how incredible this is. I'm just…I'm just in shock. What are you going to tell the people? Tell other countries?" This would become an international problem. Countries fighting over the tech, new wars could start, nukes could be threatened for lift off, hostages captured, millions could die, anything could happen. Alaura had a lot of doubts that this…Traveler would be a good thing for this world.

"We'll share it with them. That conference tomorrow is going to be held at the United Nations office and it's going to be televised. This can _end wars_ , Alaura," Lydia emphasized with care. She grabbed her friend's hand in reassurance after she noticed Alaura's tension. Even through her sleep deprivation, she still found optimism.

Alaura's lips pressed together in a tight line as she thought for a moment. As much as she wanted to be happy, a part of her doubted it. "This can create new wars if we're not careful. New technology means new ways to fight in war. There's going to be a second space race. Who can launch and claim colonies first. This is all going to be a big mess."

"Or, it could help us create something better. Something new."

Alaura scoffed, "Like what? An intergalactic empire?"

Lydia retracted her hand and threw both hands up in the air. "Exactly! The UN can be in charge of it! That way, all nations who participate get a say in it."

"Do you know how far fetched this sounds?" Alaura leaned in closer and arched an eyebrow. _She sounds a little naïve right now._

Lydia pointed to her television, which was off. She tilted her head and questioned, "Do you not see that thing making its way here? Our lives are that of a science fiction novel. Do we have the option to question things anymore?"

Alaura thought for a moment and glanced at all of the papers on the ground around her. So much data, so many pictures of this Traveler. It wasn't going to go away. This was only the beginning. "I guess not." Alaura thought back to the object she was sent to retrieve and immediately got nervous. The object looked exactly like a piece of the Traveler, but that's impossible. _If I find those two men, I can find the artifact. I can do right from my failure._

Lydia snapped her fingers in front of Alaura's face to get her attention. "Hello? What are you thinking about?"

Alaura came back to reality and shook her head with a slight smile. "Nothing, nothing. It's not important." She stood up and dragged Lydia up with her. "You need to head to bed right now. You have a big conference tomorrow."

"But I need to stay u-"

She interrupted Lydia, "Sleeeeeeeep!" Alaura dragged her friend to her room by force and threw her onto her bed. She yanked the covers off of the floor and draped them around Lydia. "Rest your eyes. I'm sure you'll be asleep in no time."

"Fine. I'll tell you more…" Lydia yawned and closed her tired eyes, "tomorrow…" She snuggled up to the pillow and fell fast asleep.

Alaura smiled softly and closed the door to her room. She sat down in the middle of all the papers and read them, one by one, reading up on all she could about this _Traveler_. She thought back to what happened at the hospital and a shiver ran down her spine. If her hands really did glow and cause that destruction, maybe it was caused by the object. She ran her hands through her hair and down her face. _Or maybe I'm too tired to function._


	6. House of Failure

Hard rain fell from the sky, accompanied by random pieces of hail. They fell like meteors towards the ground and clinked against anything they collided with. People huddled in their jackets or their umbrellas, hurriedly scurrying to their destinations. A musty earth smell hung in the air and the aroma of everyone else mixed together to create a cringe-worthy smell.

Malachi shoved his hands in his black jacket's pockets and continued to walk down the street. He sunk back a little bit and the hood fell farther over his face, shadowing him from the public even more. He kept his brown eyes low to the ground and watched where he took his next step. Rain fell onto his hood and soaked through, causing small droplets to fall down his face. He licked his lips and turned to go behind an apartment building. He ducked down into the basement through the small entrance and shook off some water.

Mr. Hyangaua sat at the only table in the room. The fan hit his face and shuffled the musty air around the room. His dark eyes focused on the small television he had brought in. An important newscast came on and the President took the stand. The ribbon at the bottom had the same headline going through, _"The Traveler Changes History Forever."_

Malachi had to do a double take of the broadcast and watched as pictures flashed on the screen. A giant white orb stood out in space near Venus, but nothing in particular could be seen due to the blinding sunlight coming from behind the object. Malachi's jaw dropped a bit and he glanced over at his boss to see if he had done the same thing. _Life. In space. This…this is…It has to be some government ploy. It has to be._ Malachi thought to himself. He couldn’t believe his eyes, but his attention stuck back to the screen.

Both men watched in awe of the mystery orb as the President had a blonde NASA worker come forward to talk more about it. The lady shook the President's hand and let him pass by to the side of the room. She set her papers down on the podium and looked out to the audience. A bright light shined in her face and through her glasses. She stood up straighter and sucked in a breath before speaking, "Ladies. Gentlemen. People of the world. The workers at NASA never thought this day would come in a million years, but here it is, happening right now. We are provided with the greatest opportunity to help humanity achieve its efforts of long-term survival and even expansion."

She nervously licked her red lips and wiped some sweat off of her hands. She continued with slight confidence, "This object we're showing you is nothing to be afraid of. It travels from planet to planet, terraforming them to benefit us. _The Traveler_ is creating a way for us to expand life out into space and live on these changed planets. There's clean air, water, no radiation, and livable terrain! Imagine a life where we could live on Mars, Venus, or even the Moon!" She calmed herself down from her jittery excitement and toned it down a notch. "We've received data from it. Schematics to things you wouldn't even believe. We can't disclose anything right now, but the future is incredibly bright because of The Traveler. We will provide a follow up update as we learn more about this. Thank you."

Mr. Hyangaua turned the television off and muttered something under his breath. He took a second to breathe and let the news sink in before he turned to Malachi. When he saw his worker showing up empty handed, his face fell to anger in seconds. "Well? Where is it?"

Malachi flat out told him the truth in a nonchalant tone, "I still have to retrieve the object. Just wanted to give you an update so you don't harass me."

Hyangaua stood up immediately and looked Malachi straight in the eye. "So you are telling me you lost it?"

Malachi was pissed beyond all hell that those two got away. The scrawny guy took the object, which caused him not to get paid. He got played by a sick man and some hotshot fighter chick. Was he really _that_ off his game? Malachi grunted, "Yeah. Two other guys were there for the same thing." If he admitted to Hyangaua he got beat by a woman, Hyangaua would never let him live it down. He thought it best to save himself from the embarrassment.

Hyangaua talked to himself lowly and looked around the room. His skin turned red with anger and his breathing unsteadied. Talking about this failure only made it worse. Hyangaua forced words through his gritted teeth, "And you let it out of your sight? One of those imbeciles has it?"

Malachi threw his hands up in defeat. "What did you want me to do? Kill them?"

His boss slammed his hands on his desk as metaphorical smoke flew out of his ears. Hyangaua yelled at the top of his lungs, "Yes!"

Malachi shrugged his boss' anger off and pointed out, "I wasn't paid to kill anybody. I was paid to retrieve an item."

Mr. Hyangaua moved around the table and got up close and personal with his worker. He scowled and jabbed his finger into Malachi's chest. The words dripped out of his mouth like venom, " _That you clearly lost!_ "

"I have a lead on it. Calm down."

Mr. Hyangaua twitched with anger and balled up his hands into fists. That object was worth billions of dollars, and Malachi lost it. His top worker lost it. How could someone be so naïve? So ill prepared? Hyangaua's blood boiled in his veins and he finally lost control. He aimed his fist and swung at Malachi's face, but Malachi stepped back.

Malachi's hands trembled and he could feel them growing hot. Extremely hot.  He was about to glance down until Hyangaua moved to make another strike. Malachi blocked the shot and pinned Hyangaua down to the table. He held a gun to the back of his head, but something was off.

Malachi peered down at his hand and found it on fire. He was startled and looked at the pistol with wide eyes, only to find out that it wasn't his pistol. His pistol was still holstered. When he glanced up at the gun again, it disappeared, leaving fire embers floating in the air. _What the hell is going on here?_

Hyangaua tried to escape from Malachi's grasp. He had trouble breathing and threatened under his breath, "Get out of here now, or I will put a bounty on your head!"

"Fine. Working for you was shit work anyway." Malachi saw some money lying on the table and snatched it. He had to be compensated for at least wasting his time and flying out to the middle of nowhere. He grunted and slammed the door on his way out.

Malachi pocketed the money after he counted it. Twelve hundred dollars. That wasn't much money, but he could at least make two months rent off of it. He shook his burning hand out and got lost in his thoughts while on the walk home.

He glanced at his phone after a while and found his lock screen blank. No picture. No happy thoughts came from it. No emotion. Nothing. He had changed it a long time ago after she... He shook his head at the thought of her and sighed heavily, pushing his crushing sadness back down into the pit it came from. _Nothing's been the same since she left._

Malachi shifted his focus elsewhere before the emotions overpowered him. He looked up at the rainy sky and let the raindrops hit his face. The coldness of the water breathed new life into his burning skin. _Whatever happened back there must've been because of that damn object._ He thought back to the two people who went for the object. The sick man and the woman who matched his fighting skills. He wasn't expecting either of them. Now, one of them had it. _I'm going to get it back, even if I have to shoot the woman to get it._

 

Tanis slunk against the door as he opened it. His whole body felt drained of energy and the flight over didn't help. He threw his keys onto the side table and dropped his backpack onto one of the chairs in the living room. He yawned and rubbed his eyes. Maybe it was exhaustion, or maybe it was his sickness. Either way, he hated both options.

Tanis' father, Dr. Hardin, yelled in frustration over his project in the lab. Tanis rolled his eyes and groaned, knowing that if he didn't tell his father he was home, he would get reamed later on. An idea struck him right before he descended the stairs. _If I show him the object, he won't be angry. He'll be satisfied and I'll finally earn some damn respect._

Dr. Hardin dragged his hands down his face in defeat and paced around the room. A broken lab piece lay on the table, a small stream of smoke rising from the dead battery. He checked the time on his watch and his brown eyes stared at the wall for a moment. His blond hair stuck out in a weird position; Dr. Hardin must've been pulling at it. His lab coat appeared worn and dirty, giving Tanis a thought that perhaps he hadn't left the lab in a few days.

Tanis hung onto the wall for support and waited to see if his dad would notice him. When his father turned back to papers that were scattered around the room, Tanis knocked his knuckle against the wall to get his attention. His father snapped up and looked at him with tired eyes. A broad smile swept across his father's face and he embraced him in a big hug. "I've been worried sick about you! I'm so glad you're okay."

Tanis was taken aback and didn't know how to react. He didn't wrap his arm around his father, rather just stood there dumbfounded. He couldn't remember the last time his father gave him a hug. "You have?"

"Of course I have! You left without telling me. You left without your extra set of pills. You could've died out there! I would have never known what happened to my son," Dr. Hardin backed away and gazed at his son. He took a long, hard look at him, memorizing his features as if he'd never see him again.

Tanis furrowed his eyebrows together in confusion. _He must've inhaled too many gases in here. He's acting like he's a regular loving father._ Tanis thought and moved to the side a bit. "Why are you acting this way?"

Dr. Hardin was shocked to hear his son utter those words. His mouth hung agape until he quickly shut it and responded in a sincere tone, "I do love you, Tanis. Everything I do is to benefit you."

 _Everything I do is to benefit you._ Tanis mocked his father in his mind. He nearly scoffed upon hearing that. Everything? Leaving him alone to grow up by himself? No friends? No one to turn to? No one to love? No. Not everything. "Oh, please. That is a lie and both of us know it. You have not done everything for me."

His father reached for some papers that were strewn about on the table. He flipped through them until he found a specific one. He shoved the paper into Tanis' hand and asked him, "What do you think this is?"

Tanis skimmed the paper over, but all of it appeared to him as gibberish. Equations, short hand writing, incoherent smudges. Nothing stood out to him. "I have no clue," he admitted with a slight shrug.

"I'm trying to find a cure for your Leukemia, Tanis."

Tanis heard what his father said, but he didn't listen. He seemed to be in a daze and it didn’t register in his mind what he meant. It took him a few seconds to adjust and realize that his father really was trying to benefit him. He's been looking for a cure this whole time. Anger and anguish piled in his system. He wanted to be grateful, but at the same time, he was neglected all of those years, so why should he be? Tanis peered into his father's eyes, but all he could see was pain. When Tanis began to talk, only a broken voice came out, "Why? Why did you leave me alone all of those years?"

"I wanted to find a cure, but I've come up with nothing. All those years, wasted. I'm so close to finding one. I just need a bit more time," Dr. Hardin explained. He looked like he was suffering too. All those years, gone. He didn't spend time with his son. All he wanted was to end his suffering. End all hostility between them. In the end, it didn't work out.

The depression that's built up until now tried to devour Tanis' heart. It weighed him down and it felt like he was drowning in nonexistent water. A tear fell from his watery eyes and he turned away. "Don't you see? You've had time. I got better, yet you still neglected me. You still left me alone. I had _nothing_. Nothing but an empty house to come back to."

"And I'm sorry for that, Tanis, bu-"

Tanis cut him off, forcing the words through his gritted teeth, "You don't get to explain. Nothing will make the past better. It's over. _I'm dying_. There's no point in trying to make excuses. You _still_ weren't there for me."

Dr. Hardin's face contorted into anguish, his features dropped and a frown settled on his lips. He was expecting a different reaction from his son. One with a warm embrace and happy tears, not the cold shoulder and anger. He stuttered to find a better choice of explaining, "I-I trie-"

Tanis threw his arms out and yelled, "I don't want to hear it!"

Something flew from Tanis' hand and latched onto his father's computer equipment. It glowed purple and hung on there for a few seconds before blowing up in a small blast. The blast's purple energy flew halfway across the room, destroying everything in its path. Tanis and his father shielded themselves, and when they looked again, everything was fried. The papers disintegrated, computer systems fried, and the furniture was nothing but a pile of ash.

Tanis peered down at his hands to find them glowing the same purple color. He stumbled onto the staircase and glanced at his father with wide eyes. A horrified expression took over his features and worry built up in his system, suffocating the depression, anguish, and anger. "The object m-must've…" he began, but he couldn't find the words to finish the sentence.

Dr. Hardin took a long look at all of his equipment and fell onto his knees. He let out a cry filled with sheer brokenness and despair. Everything was gone. His research. His findings. His failed experiments. Gone.

Tanis ran up the stairs as fast as he could and threw the object into his backpack. He snatched his keys from the table and left. He couldn't stand being there. He blew up his father's life work. Dr. Hardin would surely turn to anger once he was done crying. Plus, Tanis didn't feel like that was his home anymore. It never really was. It was just an empty shell of emotion.

Now he was scared. Running for his life. Not only from his father, but from himself. Whatever the object did to him changed him. If he could blow up a lab, imagine what else he could do. Sorrow and fear washed over him, but all he could do was run. _I'm dangerous. I can't go back. I have to find the other two people and just sell the object to them. Maybe if it is out of my possession, this…power will go away._  


	7. Lost and Found

A gentle breeze swept through the trees of the small empty park. The old swing set creaked with every push the wind gave. The seesaw appeared worn down to an almost broken state. The slide had a small hole in it, so if a kid decided to slide down on it, they'd probably crack the whole thing and it would crumble. Birds chirped in the trees and butterflies flew around the playground.

Tanis waited patiently for the other two to arrive. _They're going to come. They did the first time._ He sat on one of the benches that still stood as a whole and waited. He had been waiting for three days for them to find him. If they traveled to some desert for the object, they'd be able to find him out in the middle of some small town easily.

Fear remained in his system from earlier in the week. Whatever happened to cause the lab to explode came from his hands. That was all him. This mysterious object changed Tanis, and he didn't like it one bit. He was already different from other people. Why make it worse?

He was afraid to touch everything in case it would disintegrate. He couldn't bear the thought of touching someone else and having their death on his hands. Literally. A shiver ran down his spine just thinking about it.

Alaura walked up to Tanis without fear, her mind calm and collected. Her duel pistols were holstered in her thigh holsters underneath her long army jacket. It would be hard to walk around people with visible weapons. She stood in front of the bench and peered down at him. "You've been sitting here for a while."

Tanis nodded in acknowledgement, and he looked up at her with his chestnut shaded eyes. A sorrowful expression covered his face and all he wanted to do was be alone. "I just want this thing out of my sight." He held the object outwards toward her, leaving room so he doesn't touch her hand, and waited for her to grab it.

"Why the change of heart?" Alaura looked at him curiously, her navy blue eyes searching his face for some hidden emotion. Something bad happened to this guy, but did it have to with the object?

Tanis stood up and pushed the object into her hands. He moved slightly in his thin jacket and awkwardly swayed from side-to-side. He looked the other way and sternly replied, "How about you don't question me and I won't question you. Got it?"

"Okay then. I'll be on my way." Alaura put the object in her small bag that she brought and started to walk towards her car down the block. The object was retrieved. Mission success. Now, she could go back to her superiors triumphant.

Malachi stepped forward from behind a tree and pointed a pistol at Alaura's back. He clicked the safety off and hovered his finger over the trigger. His dark brown eyes focused on Alaura, revealing the hatred and anger. He called out to her, "That object isn't yours."

"And last time I checked, it wasn't _yours_ ," she retaliated and turned her head slightly to look back at him. A knowing sparkle was in her eye. Calling his bluff seemed too easy. "You didn't shoot the first time, so why would you now, especially in front of a witness?"

Malachi contemplated for a moment as he pointed the pistol at Alaura's back. On one hand, he could keep his word and kill her, or…Or he could fight her for it. Something nagged at him in the back of his mind to go with the second option. He tried to shake the feeling off, but it persisted and wouldn't leave. Malachi licked his lips and put his gun away. He narrowed his eyes and growled, "I'll take it from you myself."

Malachi ran at her and eyed the small bag. He went to grab it, but Alaura punched him in the jaw. He stumbled backwards, and a soaring pain flowed through his tongue. He had bitten his tongue on accident; some blood mixed with his saliva, the bitter metallic taste dancing across his taste buds. He spit the blood out and grimaced.

Alaura quickly used his shock to her advantage. She went in, punching left and right, over and over. One hit to the stomach, another to the chest. Her fists hit different limbs quickly, not allowing him to gain control. He ducked and tried to dodge, but she still managed to hit him.

Hit. Hit.

Miss.

She elbowed him in the shoulder and dove for another punch, but Malachi caught her fist. He smiled and twisted her arm. She cried out and kicked his leg, but he stood strong. He elbowed her in the back, causing her to lurch forward onto the ground. He kicked her in the stomach twice until he stepped back and allowed her to get up. His hands felt like they were on fire, but it wasn't from pain. The feeling felt all too familiar.

Alaura stumbled up and hunched over for a second. She could already tell bruises were going to form later on, and she wasn't looking forward to that. She glared at Malachi, who smiled devilishly at her, waiting for her next move. Her hands felt hot, like a ton of energy flowed through them. _I'm going to wipe that smile off of his damn face._

Malachi stepped forward and aimed to punch her jaw. She ducked in time and gave him her best punch she could muster up. A bright blue light surrounded from her hand as it collided with Malachi's ribcage. On impact, he stood strong and didn't budge, but a large boom erupted and a blue light uprooted the ground around them in a circle. Alaura backed away and stared at her hands in confusion. What she had seen the other night wasn't a dream. It was real, and it destroyed the earth around them.

Malachi's eyes widened and peered at her curiously. He didn't think anyone else had any strange occurrences like that, so this was a grand surprise. He narrowed his eyes and tried to snatch the bag from her. She saw him coming and kicked him in the chest. He coughed for a second and quickly swiped his legs underneath hers. She fell to the ground and landed on her back. He forced her down by putting his foot on her stomach to keep her there, causing her to groan in pain.

By this time, his hands were literally on fire. The golden gun appeared again in his hands out of thin air. Malachi's chest rose and fell, blood coursed through his veins as if the cells were in a race. This woman made his life so difficult. He just came for the object. Short. Simple. She was standing in the way between him and millions of dollars. He gritted his teeth and he spat, "Give me the object!"

When she didn't comply, he shot a round off by her stomach. Alaura flinched and glared at him, but still refused to hand it over. He shot next to her head and scowled, "I won't be so generous with this next round."

Alaura's ear rang loudly, and the sounds around her were muffled. She winced from the pain and stared down the barrel of the gun. She wouldn't give the object up, but he wouldn't shoot. This guy seemed to be all talk and not a real threat. If he didn't shoot her when he had the chance, why would he now? Her words dripped from her tongue like venom from a snake, "Go screw yourself."

Tanis finally had enough of their fighting. He didn't want to see anyone die in front of him. His life was bad already. No need to make it worse and have a death on his conscience. He threw out his hands in frustration and yelled, "Enough!"

A purple orb flew from his hand and bounced off of the two people in front of him. It collided with the playground a little ways away from them and blew up, devouring everything in a small circle radius in purple light. The playground disappeared in seconds, leaving no trace of it ever being there. Tanis watched the two other people as they peered over at him with wide eyes. Malachi's golden gun vanished into thin air. Alaura kicked him in the crotch and pushed herself up from the ground. Malachi groaned and almost fell, but held himself up.

Tanis dragged his hands down his face in frustration. Both of them wanted it, but this object wasn't worth murdering someone else. In the wrong hands, this could be an incredibly bad start towards the future. In the right hands, the people might be ruled with an iron fist. Decisions, decisions. This object caused more chaos than it did good, so there was only one thing left to do. Tanis spoke up as he set his hands down to his side, "We need to take this back to where it belongs."

Malachi shot an icy glare at him and questioned angrily, "And where is that? In the middle of some fucking desert?"

Alaura held Tanis' stare and knew exactly what he was talking about. She rolled her eyes at the man's answer and corrected him, "He means The Traveler, dumbass."

Malachi muttered something under his breath and replied, "It's not my fault I can't read his damn mind." He brushed the dirt off of his dark clothing and leather jacket, trying to calm himself down from the fight.

Alaura chose to ignore him and tilted her head to the side slightly. Her eyebrows scrunched together and she asked, "That whole place below The Traveler is swarming with armed guards and military personnel. How do you plan to get to it?"

Tanis peered at the ground nervously and shrugged. It was just an idea. He never thought they'd take him seriously. "I thought one of you would have had a plan."

"Well, you two can do that. I'm not planning on dying or getting thrown in jail today," Malachi declared and started to walk off. He was done with this. The job was over. Money was lost. He had to find another way to get that cash. _These people are nut jobs._ He thought to himself.

"Don’t you want to know what's happening to us? Why we have these…powers?" Tanis questioned as he turned his attention to him. There had to be an inkling of curiosity in him somewhere.

Malachi stopped in his tracks at those words. He thought about it for a moment, and not just the quick thinking, he thought about this deeply. Something pecked at his brain, almost like that nagging feeling from earlier. He felt the need to go with them, but that was crazy. Malachi thought he was in his right mind, not having some crazy epiphany about working with others and doing the right thing. A part of him wanted to know, but the other part of him really didn't care. Then again, he did say he'd kill Alaura for the object and doesn't have the guts to. His way of thinking just didn't feel _right_. Something about this whole situation threw him off his game, and that's what intrigued him more than anything. Malachi turned to the other two and sighed, "This is the stupidest idea I've ever been a part of."

"It's the only idea we have," Tanis pointed out. He glanced between the two people in front of him patiently, waiting for Alaura to answer.

Alaura stared at the two men for a moment. _What am I getting myself into?_ She thought and sighed. As much as she hated to admit it, this adventure had to be worth it. She couldn't stand knowing she had powers and didn't know why or how. "I guess we're doing this together then." She turned on her heels and walked off in the direction of her car.

Malachi scoffed and followed behind her. He wasn't happy about having these two along for the ride, but he could get something out of this. If worse came to worse, they would just split the shares three different ways.

Tanis followed close behind Malachi. He wanted the object out of his hands, and he got what he wanted. Tanis thought it best to just leave, but something tugged him along with the two strangers. He didn't know what, but there was a strong feeling in his gut that told him to go. He complied and decided to quietly tag along. He couldn't offer much to them, but he could gain some knowledge in return. He wanted to know what the object was as much as they did. The mystery had gone on long enough.


	8. Infiltration

After driving for two days and bickering with one another, they finally made it to where The Traveler was located. Small town in the middle of the great plains, the perfect place to sit afar and keep an eye on the surroundings. No tall buildings or hills. No mountains. The Traveler hung above the Earth, closer than the moon, but still far enough to allow aircraft to take off and land. The light emanating from it earlier in space was not there anymore, allowing people to stare at it all they want against the bright night sky.

Malachi, Alaura, and Tanis lay down under the tall, pale green grass a little ways away from the makeshift military barricade. The government had set up a perimeter block a few miles on each side of the small town to protect The Traveler and study it. Jeeps and other types of military issued cars parked behind the barricade to reinforce it more. Spotlights rotated back and forth, shining light on the only road and a few feet of grass on each side.

Tanis huddled on one side of Alaura, calm and collected. His light brown eyes stared at the Government takeover of the wide area. He thought they could actually finish this mission, but just staring at the site made his hope go down the drain. He set his head on his crossed arms and furrowed his brow. "Maybe you can see if you have security clearance?"

Alaura scoffed and watched the site through her night-vision binoculars, "That's a terrible idea." She wasn't expecting so many soldiers, cars, or security. The site was a makeshift barricade, so it'd be simple to get in, but there seemed to be no end to the site. _There's a patrol around the perimeter. Shouldn't be too tough. Hopefully…_

"As if going through with this idea wasn't bad enough." Malachi peered through his sniper scope, counting how many soldiers there were. The odds of the three of them getting to the Traveler dwindled as more soldiers were accounted for. He sighed heavily and set his sniper rifle down for a moment.

Alaura and Tanis glared at Malachi; they knew the idea was terrible, but they had no other choice. If other people saw them using their powers, even if it was an accident, there would be a serious backlash. That's not something they looked forward to.

Alaura returned to her objective and focused in on one part of the barricade below. "There. They patrol around the perimeter every few minutes. We just have to run over there and jump over to safety while they are on the other side."

"What then?" Tanis' voice was steady, but on the inside, he freaked out. Worry built up in his system, twisting knots in his stomach over the thought of his condition. Running through a military base of operations seemed like it would be bad for his body. He didn't want to overwork himself, so he contemplated on sitting out.

"We find a helicopter. We can take it up to whatever this thing is and try to find an entrance. I'm sure Ms. Hotshot over here can get it up into the air," Malachi answered him in a low tone.

Alaura ignored the name he called her, but didn't disagree. She knew she could fly the helicopter. She's done it twice. Third time's a charm. She retorted, "And how do you plan on stealing one without getting noticed?"

Malachi smirked and lay on his back. He stared up at the side of The Traveler and the starry night sky, and watched the stars twinkle brightly. "We'll leave that part up to Future Us when we're in the moment."

Alaura rolled her eyes, yet she knew he was telling the truth. They had nothing. No plan. She hated that. She always went in with a plan, but this mission went against everything she's ever done in her life. She always followed laws and obeyed her superiors, but here she was, about to break those two habits. She pushed the hatred away and focused on the problem. "That's sadly the best idea we have. We can't get in from the ground. As long as we don't get shot out of the sky, we should be able to do this."

"Whoa, wait. How much is the possibility of getting shot out of the sky?" Tanis questioned, glancing over between the other two to see their expressions. Malachi still had a smirk on his face, while Alaura seemed to be calculating something in her mind. Tanis moved his thumb against the palm of his hand in a repetitive action as more worry piled on top of each other.

"Fifty-fifty," Alaura shrugged nonchalantly.

Tanis' jaw dropped for a second and his eyebrows knit together. His forehead creased and his voice wavered as he spoke, "That's the best idea we have?"

"Let's at least park the car somewhere that's not too noticeable from the road," Malachi offered and stayed low to the ground. He walked towards the car and waited for the others to follow him. Alaura sighed heavily and followed after Tanis when he got up. Malachi had the keys, and it's not like Alaura was going to let him go with Tanis. Malachi could easily overpower the poor guy and leave without them both, or take off when shit hit the fan because only he knew where the car was.

Malachi started the car and waited for the other two to get inside before starting to drive off. Alaura furrowed her eyebrows and eyed Malachi after realizing where they were headed. "Are you fucking insane?"

Malachi pushed his foot down on the gas pedal as he swerved farther into the grass area, heading straight towards the town. His hands firmly held onto the steering wheel while the car bounced a bit against the earth. Malachi grit his teeth and forced himself not to panic on the inside. This was him putting his all into a terrible plan.

He passed by a few soldiers who were on their patrol. The soldiers shot at the car as it sped off towards the town. The back windshield was shot out and Tanis ducked for cover. Alaura stayed low and Malachi didn't even flinch. When the coast was clear, Tanis yelled out, "What the hell, man?"

Malachi ignored him and sped up to over sixty miles per hour. "Switch with me," He beckoned Alaura over as he put one foot on the passenger's side. Alaura looked at him as if he were insane, but knew he wasn't joking around. She made her way around him, pushing her body to the driver's side as he slid into the passenger's side. He nodded to her before Alaura looked away.

Alaura fastened her seat belt with one hand and focused her eyes on the road. Things were about to get really bad. She pointed her finger at Malachi, who was checking the clip of his pistol. "Don't kill anyone. We're already caught for trespassing," Alaura commanded in a stern tone.

Malachi stuck the clip back into position and tried to take in every inch of the gun. He wanted to make sure of how any bullets he had, then set his feet on the dashboard in a lazy fashion. "No promises."

"Plan A is gone. What do we do now?" Tanis glanced behind them nervously, noticing the few cars on their tail. He wrung his hands and attempted to remain calm. This was all such a huge rush for him. It seemed a bit overwhelming for a moment.

Alaura's blue eyes flickered to the rearview mirror for a second before she turned left down another dark street. "Well, we either get the hell out of here, or we go to the center of this place to see if there's another way up."

"I'm up for getting out of here," Malachi put his two cents in. "I don't know about you guys, but I really want to stay a free man."

Tanis hit the back of Malachi's seat in frustration and exclaimed, "But we have to see if we can get this back to The Traveler! We didn't come all of this way for nothing. It's not like we forced you to join us."

Two jeeps rode up on either side of the car. The drivers glanced over at Alaura, then back at the street. One of them turned into her car, scraping against the metal of the doors. The drivers tried to shoot at the tires, but Malachi aimed his gun at them and waited for them to shoot first. They rolled up their bullet proof windows and waited for another opportunity.

Alaura kept the car balanced and in control. She exhaled in an effort to stay calm and slowed down enough to turn onto another street. The drivers didn't notice until a few seconds later. They angrily sped off in the same direction they were headed.

Two other cars joined the pursuit. One stayed in front of Alaura, the other on the passenger's side. Malachi shot at the drivers, but the bullets wouldn't make it through the window. He grumbled to himself and attempted to shoot the tires, causing one tire to deflate. Before he could shoot at the other one, the car rammed into the passenger's side again, aiming to injure his hand that was sticking out of the window.

Alaura spotted the two cars from earlier drifting in from a side street. She stepped on the brakes, allowing this extremely loud tire screech to pierce the air. Tanis cringed at the sound and held onto his fastened seatbelt. Malachi held onto the passenger side handlebar as Alaura pushed her back up against her seat. Their car skidded to a stop, and the four military vehicles crashed into each other. Two of them slid down the street with extreme damage. One skidded to a halt. The last one flipped a few ways away and the wheels were still rolling when it finished.

All three of them exhaled and almost cheered until a tank rolled onto the street where the cars had come from. The giant green slab moved towards them at a good pace and aimed the dangerous cannon at them. Now that they were moving away from the center of town, it probably assumed it would be okay to shoot.

Tanis' nose scrunched up in dismay. He suggested with a hint of worry in his voice, "You might want to back up."

"No shit, Sherlock." Alaura set the car in reverse and backed up onto another street. She put the car back into drive and stepped on it. The farther they could get, the better it was for them.

The tank followed, no matter how many times Alaura turned down different streets in an effort to lose it. It was slow, but steady. The tank kept on the group in their sight, so the military didn't let a few trespassers get away. It refrained from blasting them to bits to keep from damaging the town itself. Thoughtful on the government's part. Alaura still found it unsettling that they _haven't_ called in new reinforcements. They would have been there by now.

Malachi announced quickly, "I have an idea."

"Please don't do something stupid," Alaura pleaded.  

Malachi grabbed his sniper rifle, started to climb out of the window, and sat on the passenger door. "What was that, sweetheart? I can't hear you over all of the noise." He wedged one foot between the passenger seat and the door, while putting the other underneath the glove compartment area. He looked down his sniper rifle's scope and adjusted the lens. Malachi spotted a gas pipe to the side and steadied his breathing. He exhaled for a few seconds, cleared his mind, and shot at the pipe.  

The whole building blew up in fiery flames, causing debris to fly everywhere in its vicinity. The building next to it followed suit; it exploded and chunks flew into the street, blocking the path. The tank stopped to avoid impact and waited until it was clear to continue.

Tanis almost jumped out of his seat in excitement. He raised his hands in sweet victory and grinned from ear-to-ear. "I can't believe you just did that!" He turned to Malachi and applauded him, "That was awesome, like, straight from the movies awesome!"

Alaura looked into the rearview mirror and her blue eyes widened in fear. She punched Malachi in the leg and almost caused him to fall out of the window. She raised her voice in concern, "What if there were people in that building? You could've killed them!"

Malachi shook his head and fell into the passenger seat. He set the sniper rifle faced down towards the floor near his feet. "There wasn't. This town closes up by eight sharp. I'm not going to kill innocent people just to get to this stupid orb in the sky."

"It's not stupid! It's amazing! This could change _everything_ for us!" Tanis exclaimed in defense of the plan.

Alaura yelled at both of them as she kept her hands firmly on the steering wheel, "We have bigger things to worry about here!" She spotted the car barricade in front of them a ways away and tried to find another direction to turn.

This was a one way street. No alleys or side streets. She was about to step on her brakes until one of the soldiers shot the tire out, causing her to skid towards them. She stopped before she could hit anything, causing the car to jerk forward. The three stared at the soldiers in silence, as if they all knew it was over at the same time.

The soldiers put their guns up and aimed it at the trio. Alaura spotted the mags and noticed they didn't have a blue coloring to them. There wasn't stun ammunition in the magazines. Those soldiers were going to shoot at them if they wouldn't comply. "Step out of the vehicle with your hands in the air."

The three of them complied and stepped out of the vehicle, hands in the air where the soldiers could see them. All three of them glanced over at each other in defeat. They'd never get to know how they got their powers or why. If they tried to use their powers now, they'd either screw up in the biggest way, or just get themselves killed. There was no point in fighting. They stole government property, blew up two buildings, and much, much more.

Their mission was a failure.

Soldiers swarmed around the trio, guns pointed right at them. They closed in a tight circle to make sure none of them were able to escape.

Malachi traced his life up until this point. He lost someone he loved. All he did was move from one job to the next. He had to put up with douche bag bosses and murdering people. He killed people, for Christ's sake. There was so much bad karma and negativity around him that maybe it was for the best that this happened to him. It would be a wake up call to change his life for the better.

Alaura knew this would be the end of her career. She would never get to lead her fireteam into action after this screw up. She'd never see her teammates or Kai. Lydia would never speak to her again. Her heart dropped at the thought of it. What was she doing here? How could she disappoint her team? How could she put her life on the line like that? All for stupid answers. She was about to lose _everything_ for some dumb conquest.

Tanis didn't have any fear. He wasn't worried about the consequences. It seemed like nothing mattered to him anymore. He felt this numbing sensation all across his body, and at this moment, he couldn't feel at all. He didn't have anything to lose. No one to go back to. No home. No money. He wasn't going to be alive for long, so why care?

"What is that in your pocket?" A soldier yelled to Alaura, shaking her out of her thoughts. He kept his gun aimed steadily at her as he inched closer to inspect.

She glanced down to see what he was talking about and found the pocket with the object inside glowing. It glowed a bright white light that almost blinded her. She looked at Malachi and Tanis in confusion. They returned the same expression, and all three of them simultaneously peered up at The Traveler.

A beam of the same white light washed over them, and they disappeared from the military base's sight.


	9. Truth of the Light

Everything was pitch black.

The air was extremely clean and easy to breathe in. The cool temperature in the room kept the tile cold. Alaura pushed herself up off of the floor and tried to gain her bearings. Her ears rang, causing her to cringe until it died down. She reached around, lightly tapping the floor until she came in contact with someone's hand.

Malachi jerked his hand away and motioned towards the item in Alaura's pocket. "It's glowing. Use that as light."  He smirked a bit before commenting, "Oh, and next time, I'll be happy to hold your hand if you get scared."

Alaura rolled her eyes and pushed him away from her. "Shut up and see if Tanis is okay." She took the robotic piece out of her pocket and held it up. It illuminated the area around them with the same white light that washed over them earlier. She scrambled up and her blue eyes drifted around the lit area.

Malachi assisted Tanis in getting off of the floor. Tanis coughed for a second and wiped his mouth. They followed behind Alaura, teeter tottering their weight between each other. Tanis moved away from Malachi, determined to move on his own. He didn't need a crutch. He was strong enough. Alaura walked forward towards one of the main consoles in the room, where a small opening glowed. She glanced between the two boys and set the piece in the opening.

The piece fit in perfectly and it triggered something within the whole place. The lights came on and shined on everything in the room. The white walls and tile reflected against each other, composing an almost blinding room. The three people took their time to get their eyes adjusted before looking around.

Nothing much was placed in The Traveler. The walls glowed blue within the cracks and small humming noises echoed through the place. The room itself was small compared to the giant orb, but that only meant more could be explored. The place was pristine, empty, and for the most part, cold. The only heat in the room was radiating off of the trio.

Three little bots came in from another room; the only exit closed behind them. They were the size of two fists combined, which made them small, but adorable to look at. Each one had a different color, blue, black, and white, and a single eye in the middle. The eye itself was big and a glassy blue, while a light shined to reflect where it was looking. They blinked, glanced around, and examined us for a second. "Hello," they all simultaneously called out.

Tanis cocked his head slightly and reached out to them with his hand. The robot he almost touched backed away and he set his hand back at his side. Tanis eyed them in curiosity and questioned, "What are you?"

The black-shelled ghost spoke up in a low British accent, "Mere prototypes. The Traveler calls us Ghosts."

"We're like your personal hackers and supercomputers," the white one replied simply. Its voice was deep and soothing to hear.

Malachi's eyebrows furrowed and he shifted his weight onto his other foot. This whole situation smelled fishy to him, but he couldn't comprehend why. Nothing was ever simple in this world, and nothing was definitely pure. This creature, this so called _Traveler_ , had an agenda. "Wait, _our_ personal ones?"

The black ghost answered him, "We are assigned to each of you. I am assigned to this young lady here."

Malachi instantly scoffed at its words, "Nothing ladylike about her." He side-glanced at Alaura to make sure she heard him. He refrained from smiling when he saw it only made her angry.

Alaura scowled at him. She moved on and her eyes flickered over to the black shelled ghost. She motioned to Malachi with her hand, "I really feel bad for the one that's teamed up with this jackass."

The small blue ghost projected words into the air, but didn't speak, "I am."

"Why does that one not talk?" Tanis asked. These ghosts were all different, so it was interesting to him to find out how they'd affect the team. _Team?_ Tanis questioned himself in his mind. He shook the thought away. He was getting too far ahead of himself. A team actually has missions. They are merely nothing but three people caught up in the same problem.

"She was the first ghost to be made. The Traveler was still experimenting at this point, so it missed the ability to speak. I was created next," the black ghost responded. His accent echoed through the small room.

"He is such an intelligent ghost. Lacks character though. Hence why The Traveler saved the best for last. Me." The white ghost turned to Tanis and continued speaking, "You, sir, get the best ghost out of the bunch."

Tanis bunched his hands together and almost jumped up and down in excitement. This would be his first companion ever. Someone to talk to. Someone to confide in. Someone to share experiences with. Someone who might actually give a damn about him. "Do we get to name you?"

The three ghosts looked at each other and bobbed up and down in agreement. The blue one projected, "Sure."

Tanis was the first to speak up, "Dinklebot. His voice reminds me of one of my favorite actors, Peter Dinklage." He put on a sly grin and watched the white ghost next to him. It spun its shell and glanced around every once in a while at the new people.

"Jarvis," Alaura smiled at the small dark-shelled ghost. When the other two boys looked at her in a weird way, she rolled her eyes. "You guys understand modern references, but not this one? For shame."

Malachi thought about his choice for a name. Something cute. Something meaningful. He quickly responded, "Macey."

Alaura turned to him. That name was too random to have no meaning. This went deeper than that. She genuinely responded to him for once, "That's a pretty name."

"Yeah. Why that name?" Tanis joined in. He was always prone to curiosity, so the sudden meaningful name sparked it in his mind. He eyed Malachi and noticed how little movement he was doing.

Malachi seemed distant as he looked in the other direction. One of his hands was curled up into a fist so tight that his skin turned white. "It belonged to someone I knew."

Tanis noticed the tension in the room building up. Malachi needed a conversation change because this subject meant a little too much to him. He took it to heart. "How did we find this piece if The Traveler was never here before?" Tanis asked curiously. Someone in history must have noticed The Traveler as it passed by. It's really hard to miss.

Macey projected into the air, "It was here way before humans had a grasp on what was out in space."

"Mars used to be full of life. The Traveler settled there for a bit many, many years ago," Jarvis bobbed up and down in excitement. The Traveler told them much about that time, and electricity ran through his circuits just thinking about it.

"That's where a war with the Darkness took place. It destroyed all of the resources and sucked the life out of the planet," Dinklebot explained rather quickly. "The Traveler passed Earth on its way to push the Darkness away to protect humanity. During that fight, it dropped many pieces of itself across the galaxy. You just happened to find one."

Alaura scrunched her eyebrows together in confusion and questioned slowly, "Wait…The Darkness?"

"There are different theories on the darkness that we three," Dinklebot referred to the other two ghosts with a side glance, "have come up with. The Traveler won't tell us anything about it. It could be an object to balance the universe. The Yin to the Traveler's Yang. It could be just what the armies of aliens use to travel through the galaxy safely. At this point, we know nothing about it. All we know is that it has to be destroyed. The Traveler hasn't divulged any more information than that."

Alaura, Malachi, and Tanis sat in silence. They attempted to soak all of the information in, but one question kept popping up in their minds. _What in the world have we gotten ourselves into?_

Malachi crossed his arms and perked an eyebrow. He scoffed, "Wait. Hold on. You expect us to believe this bull shit?"

Alaura glared at him and retorted without missing a beat, "You're sitting in a giant orb from space. What more do you need to believe it?"

"Darkness…aliens…this all sounds bad to me. We're not exactly in a position to doubt this. We haven't seen anything yet." Tanis felt a bit shaky and tried to calm himself down. He took his medicine before leaving the car, but it didn't settle in his stomach, causing him to worry. He couldn't tell if it was just the situation at hand, or his sickness.

Macey moved on from the subject and projected, "Have you experienced any new powers?"

All three of them answered simultaneously, "Yes."

"The Traveler radiates light that powers many things. The light flows through each and every one of us in this very room." Jarvis replied. He glanced at all three of them and blinked before his shell swirled around his eye in a full circle. "There are certain people who can use this power to their benefit. You are a part of that group: the Guardians of the light. Your enhanced abilities stem from the Traveler."

Malachi gestured to Alaura with a nod, "So why couldn't Power Fists over here hurt me when she punched me?"

"You can't use your powers against each other. The light can't be used against itself," Jarvis answered simply. He thought that would have been clear enough, but apparently they didn’t understand.

"We can't fight each other. That's either a great thing or a curse," Tanis put his head in his shaky hands and took a deep breath. His chest constricted and he suddenly felt weak.

Dinklebot rolled his eye and responded, "To be able to harness the power of The Traveler is an amazing achievement. You should be proud of that."

"You three are the ones who are going to determine the future of humanity." Jarvis bobbed up and down after saying that. He never thought this day would ever come. He thought he'd be a prototype forever. Now, he had a guardian to watch over. He finally felt useful.

Alaura laughed at that statement, "What are we? The Guardians of the Galaxy?"

Dinklebot made a humming noise until he came to a conclusion. "In a way. I wouldn't say you guys are that great yet."

"So what is The Traveler, anyway?" Tanis questioned after raising his head a bit. He was dying to know, and maybe the answer would take his mind off of his sick feeling.

Jarvis glanced at the other two ghosts. None of them spoke up first, so he took the initiative to, no matter how vague, "There are different theories."

Dinklebot joined him and responded, "It depends on your perspective."

Tanis quickly asked, "Is it a god?"

"It has to be a sentient machine," Alaura butted in.

Malachi scoffed at their absurdity. "It's clearly an empty shell guys. This thing is just waiting for someone to take control. I wouldn't be surprised if the government built this on their space missions."

Alaura turned to him with an Are-You-Serious look plastered to her face. "Do you realize how stupid that sounds?"

"That's better than thinking it has its own thinking process!" Malachi exclaimed. _The audacity of these people to think it's a god or some sentient robot._ He thought to himself.

The three ghosts didn't say anything. They hung in the air and stared at their guardians, full of wonder and hope. The guardians all had different thinking processes, which made the outcome of their ownership quite interesting. Jarvis and Dinklebot examined their owners, while Macey seemed distant.

Macey tilted a bit and looked around. Her blue shell swished around her glassy eye quickly and she turned to the others. She projected into the air, "The Traveler says something is wrong…"

"How bad can it really be?" Tanis shrugged. With everything that's happening in the world, famine, illness, war, chaos, uprisings, shootings, he wasn't surprised that something was wrong.

Jarvis listened to an incoming transmission from The Traveler. He peered around in alarm and nearly shouted, "No, we aren't equipped for that kind o-"

A white light washed over them once more, and suddenly they were beamed to another place. Their eyes widened at the sight before them. Distraught and worry covered their expressions.

Jarvis finished sadly, "…trip…"

Tanis' voice caught in his throat. All that he could push out was, "…Oh."


	10. Cold Hard Truth

Everything lay in ruins.

The trio stood in the middle of a blood-ridden battlefield, littered with bodies and debris. Towers and buildings around them crumbled or scorched from fire. The heat hit their skin like a sweet summer breeze accompanied by dark smoke that hung in the air. Planes and ships had crashed into the ground or landed in the middle of some buildings. They could smell the gun powder, scorched laser markings, and the stench of death. The sun shown brightly down on the horrendous battle that took place.

Alaura's breath hitched in her throat. She took a few steps forward, then stopped to take everything in. Her hand hovered over her stomach as her heart fell. "Oh god," she whispered to herself in disbelief. Her stomach churned at the sight before her.

Malachi saw something in the distance and walked straight towards it. He hopped over the rubble, the destruction, and the many dead bodies of soldiers to get to this one spot. He halted abruptly once he realized what he was staring at.

Outside of the small circle, robot bodies lay lifeless on the ground. The cone-like, fan-shaped heads littered the place. The robots had a big, single red eye just below the fan shape. Some parts were huge, others skinny. Guns lay in white liquid that ran down ways away from the bodies.

The ghosts glanced at each other as they surveyed the battlefield. They knew what did this. They weren't sure why The Traveler sent them there, though, or even what time year this was. Jarvis spoke up out of the bunch, "We're in the future."

"Those robots are from a group in the Darkness called the Vex. They…what they are is complicated. The white fluid you see is the Vex itself. The robot body is just a shell. The Vex are known to travel throughout time using," Jarvis turned around and gestured in the other direction, "time gates. That thing glowing over there is a time gate."

Tanis looked at the glowing purple time gate over yonder. More Vex bodies were piled by it; the white fluid mixed together and formed a tiny river. Tanis' voice couldn't go above a whisper, "So they caused all of this?" He felt sick. His hands shook and sweat started forming on his skin. His eyebrows twitched upwards and he cringed from the pain in his stomach.

Dinklebot gestured over to one of the crumbled ships that was shaped like a giant black sarcophagus. "Seems like humanity was caught up in the worst dominance battle ever. Vex like to take over, but the Hive…damn. The Hive live off of sword logic. In other words, barbaric survival of the fittest."

"Where are the Hive bodies?" Alaura questioned breathlessly, her blue eyes glued to her surroundings. She couldn't stop looking at everything. She just couldn't believe something like this could happen.

Jarvis responded, "They disappear after death for some reason. We haven't been able to figure out why. Some thrall bodies manage to stay, but the rest disappear."

Dinklebot joined in, "You're lucky you haven't seen any of those bodies. They are an ugly zombie-like race."

Malachi winced and tried to take in every little bit of the scene in front of him. This was unreal. The bodies, the destruction, this was something taken straight from a movie. What he saw next sent chills down his spine. Alaura and Tanis followed Malachi to get a closer look at what he was staring at. Tanis threw up on the side at the sight, while Alaura knelt down on the ground.

Three dead bodies were sprawled out in a triangle formation. The soldiers' guns still had smoke rising from them. Bullet wounds penetrated the armor and cracked it in various places. Blood pooled around the corpses, oozing out of their wounds and trickling down to the puddle on the ground. Alaura pulled one of the helmets off to reveal their identity. She yelped in fear and backed away quickly.

Alaura stared at herself.

She was the one dead on the ground. Her navy blue eyes were half open, and blood splattered all over her face. Her black hair covered a huge gash in her skull.

Alaura looked away from the sight and almost got sick. If that was her, the other two must have been Tanis and Malachi. There was no doubt about it. All three of them had powers, so they'd work together as a fireteam. All three dead bodies appeared tattered, torn, and beaten. They had new armor that they've never seen before. Malachi's helmet was broken in half, while Tanis' had a big hole in it from a gun shot.

"What the…" Malachi paused and knit his eyebrows together in confusion. He didn't want to go near the bodies. The possibility of being able to touch them made them even more real. "How the fuck is this even possible?"

"Guys…" Tanis trailed off and pointed at the sky.

The Traveler floated in the air above the towering city, throwing electrical sparks at the sky. Enemy ships were inbound and firing at humanity's last hope. Lasers and bolts impacted with the orb of light, causing a chunk of its shell to fall off. A swirling dark entity moved in passed the ships and attacked The Traveler itself. The Traveler sent off a blinding light that fought against The Darkness. The light and the dark mixed together and sent off a spark of purple into the air. It hung around like a heavy cloud around the fight.

One attack after the other, The Darkness and the enemy ships had the advantage. The Traveler frantically tried to protect itself, but with all of the explosions and the amount of light it took to retaliate, it was too much. One final blow of darkness critically hit the orb and it started to fall out of the sky. It collided with the city below it, causing a massive explosion.

The trio covered their eyes from the blinding light that flashed the city. Once it was over, they breathlessly lowered their arms and stared at the burnt debris aghast. Fear built up in the middle of their stomach, almost like an big knot. Pain surged through their systems as they watched their future crumble before them.

All hope was lost.

Humanity collapsed and could never recover from something like this. If this happened everywhere, it would cause humanity's extinction. The only light left was destroyed. Gone. Vanished.

It's like they were only there just to watch.

The Darkness loomed overhead and started trailing the ground, swallowing any cars, buildings, or debris in its path. The Hive dropped off from their tomb-like ships. The small ones had sharp claws and a round head, but appeared to be blind. They had no eyes. The big Hive were adorned in armor and big guns, their many green eyes fixating on the trio from across the battlefield. The Darkness surged passed them and tried to cover the whole land in pitch black darkness.

"We have to get out of here," Alaura called out and turned around to face her companions. The two men expressed concern and worry for what was heading their way. Alaura's eyes glanced around urgently and settled on the time gate. She gestured to it by pointing, "You said we can travel through that?"

"It's never been done before by anyone else…" Jarvis stopped talking slowly and contemplated. His dark shell twisted around and he blinked a few times. "It's worth a try."

She nodded and led the way to the purple gate. She full out ran and Jarvis flew in the air at the same pace. Malachi ushered to Macey and sprinted towards the gate. Tanis wiped some sweat off of his forehead and followed suit with Dinklebot hot on his heels. They hopped over human corpses and vex parts every few seconds. They slid under a pile of debris too big to hop over and continued their pursuit. Freedom never smelled so sweet.

Tanis slowed down and threw up once more. His limbs felt weak and his breath shortened. Blood dripped down from his nose, making a trail down to his chin. He couldn’t feel his abdomen and he collapsed. He cried out in pain and tried to get back up, but to no avail.

Alaura sprinted back to help Tanis, but when she realized Malachi wasn't there, she called out to him, "We can't leave him here!" A hint of desperation was in her voice as she slung one of Tanis' arms around her shoulder. She attempted to pick him up, but failed to do so. She glanced at Malachi in slight fear, and that's when he decided to run to help them. He couldn't just leave them both there, even though he wanted to get the hell out of there as fast as he could.

Both of them hauled Tanis to the static purple time gate. They stood in the middle of it and turned back for a second. Their reality started to bend and shimmer before them as they watched The Darkness cover the earth.

In the next second, they were teleported to a dark place. The sound of dripping water echoed off of the walls on their right. The air was humid and heavy, and the area smelled of moist dirt. Bats fluttered in the distance and other noises met the trio's ears.

The three ghosts lit up the room with a bright light from their eyes. Dinklebot looked at the time gate behind them and urgently declared, "You need to destroy the portal right now."

Alaura scrunched her eyebrows together in slight worry and anger. She snapped at him, "We need to get Tanis help. That's what we need to do."

"This portal is a link to this time. Wherever we are at, the Vex can just come through as long as this is active. You _need_ to take it down," Jarvis added to his fellow ghost's argument. This was now, or never.

Malachi gave in quickly to appease the ghosts. The quicker they get this done, the quicker they could get out of there. "How?"

"Shoot at the purple substance until it deactivates," Macey projected the words in blue. She bobbed up and down, waiting for a response from the two guardians.

Alaura and Malachi held onto Tanis with one hand and took their pistols in the other. They shot at the dead center of the purple portal repeatedly. Tanis flinched at the loud, booming sounds, but he was too weak to cover his ears. When they put a whole clip into it and it didn't go down, Alaura put Tanis' full weight on Malachi. Malachi holstered his gun and held onto Tanis. Alaura walked up to the portal and punched it with all of her might. The portal crackled against her knuckles, and she screamed from the intensity of power it sent through her bones.

The portal powered down, and only the frame stood there as an empty reminder of what was there. Alaura shook her hand out and huffed a few times in exhaustion. She and Malachi got a better grip on Tanis before moving out. The cave had to have an exit, and they were desperate to find it.

Someone had to help Tanis. They weren't going to let him die.


	11. Rebirth

Green.

Everything outside of the cave was such a lavish green. Grass covered the land except for a small dirt trail. Vines trailed up the cliffs and the odd rock formations that stood high above the ground. Some stood straight up, curved, or rubbed against each other for support. Trees shaded the area with full leaves from the scorching sun. The sun was closer than usual, thus providing more heat. The air itself was humid and smelled of different smells. It reminded Alaura of the time she went hiking in a jungle with Kai. The trio followed the dirt path to their right in search for assistance.

"Help!" Alaura yelled as loud as she could. There had to be someone here. They trudged on, lugging Tanis along with them. He slowly closed his eyes  and drew a few short breaths. Blood from his nose dripped onto his shirt, mixing in with the dirt and smoke that left stains. Alaura glanced at Tanis and reassured him, "It's going to be okay. We're going to get you help."

"Alaura, he isn't going to last much long-"

She cut Malachi off in an instant in a stern voice, "Don’t you _dare_ say that. He is our _friend_. We are going to do _everything_ in our power to help him. Do you hear me?" This was an innocent, ill man. She wasn't going to let him go down that easily. He was their team member, after all. Team members stuck together. _I wonder how Kai and the rest are doing…_ She contemplated for a second.

Malachi was a bit taken aback by her tenaciousness. His brown eyes widened for a split second. "Yes ma'am," Malachi mumbled under his breath. He got a better grip on Tanis to carry him better.

Alaura spotted a few people observing the plant life far ahead of them. She smiled triumphantly, knowing Tanis would be okay and help was on the way. She called out to them urgently, "Help! We need help! Please!" When they came closer, she elaborated more, "Our friend is sick and needs medical attention stat." The people nodded and ushered them to their vehicle. Alaura and Malachi stared at the vehicle for a second in confusion.

The car hovered above the ground.

The driver yelled at them to hop in, and Alaura and Malachi hesitated. They glanced at each other for a second and got in the car. The driver quickly sped off. Everything blurred outside of the open windows and wind whipped through their hair. The whole place seemed to be a jungle, which only made Alaura and Malachi internally question where they were.

The passenger turned back to face the trio and questioned, "So where are you guys from?"

Alaura glanced between Malachi and Tanis, not knowing if she should reveal a specific spot. Too much information could be dangerous, especially when they have no clue what country they're in. She pursed her lips and answered simply,  "The United States."

The man smiled and a gleam of excitement flashed across his eyes. "No way! You're from Earth. That's awesome! How is it there?"

Malachi arched an eyebrow and flexed his jaw in confusion. If they weren't on Earth, then where were they? The man looked harmless enough. Their surroundings, however, could prove dangerous if need be. Not knowing the terrain is always bad. He tried hard not to grit his teeth as he asked, "Excuse me? Are we not on Earth?"

The man shook his head and responded, "No dude. You're at Ishtar Collective, Venus. We're pulling up to the academy now." The driver stopped the car abruptly in a parking spot at their destination.

 _Venus…_ The word echoed in Alaura and Malachi's minds and created an unsettling feeling within them. They were on a completely different planet. First the future, and now this? They tried to contain their disbelief and wonder, but it all became overwhelming. They stepped out of the vehicle to allow the two men to take Tanis and gazed around.

The campus was beautiful. The sun gleamed and reflected off of the window panes of the tall buildings. Rivers of water flowed through campus, twisting and turning every few meters. Mountains were close behind the buildings on one side, and the other was a complete plain of beautifully structured buildings and quads for students to hang out in. Lush green grass and plants lined every inch of dirt, making this a beautiful jungle paradise. Students buzzed and ran from class to class, talking to each other or on their holographic phones.

The two people rushed out of the car and grabbed onto Tanis. They lugged him into the closest building with the words _Valencia Science Building_ sprawled over the top of it. Malachi froze and studied everyone, but not much was different from what he had seen on Earth. The students looked the same, maybe a little more tanner, but the same. Nothing sparked his danger senses, so he took this place as a safe haven. Alaura twirled around slowly, taking everything in. They were on a completely different _planet_. She put her hand on her stomach wearily to stop it from doing flips and followed the two men inside.

"We need a doctor!" The driver called out as they set Tanis on an empty lab table. The lab was enormous and clean. Gray walls, shiny tile, giant windows, computers lining the walls, this was a geek's heaven. Scientists eyed them as they came into the room and some of them appeared alarmed instantly.

"I'm a doctor," a woman in a white lab coat answered. The doctor took out a small portable device and scanned Tanis with it. She waited until the device projected his results into the air. The corner of her lips fell and she looked back at them worriedly. "There's nothing we can do for him. His body is failing and the Leukemia he has just isn't treatable at this point. I'm sorry."

Alaura's expression flattened and she instantly became angry. "So that's it? We just let him die?" Malachi grabbed Alaura's arm to hold her back and she quickly pulled away. She stepped closer to the doctor and pleaded, "No! No. There has to be another way."

A scientist stepped forward and wrung his sweating hands. He wiped his hands on his pants and spoke up, "Well…there is, but it's…complicated."

Alaura looked over at Malachi, who shrugged his shoulders. At this point, they'd do anything to save him. She looked back at the scientist and questioned, "How complicated?"

"We can upload his conscience into an Exo body." The scientist pulled up what the robot body looked like on a tablet that was just a light up piece of glass. Limber limbs, flat plate-like skin with a few openings, narrow eyes, and more.

The three ghosts hid behind Malachi and tried to stay out of sight from anyone else. Dinklebot nudged Malachi's shoulder and whispered, "We need Tanis. He can't die."

Malachi nodded in response and gave Alaura a thumbs up. Alaura took that as a sign to agree and made the call, "Just do it. Please."

The scientist ran his hand through his hair and smiled. He got right to work, clicking buttons on his tablet and blowing it up to connect to the computer. A female scientist laid out an Exo body right next to Tanis. The male scientist put a helmet on Tanis that had tubes connecting to the Exo's mind. He clicked buttons on the console and stopped for a second. "There is this one thing we aren't very proud of…"

Malachi's eyebrow twitched up in suspicion. He crossed his arms and kept close to the wall to shield the ghosts from being seen. His brown eyes flickered to the scientist. "And what's that?"

The man sighed heavily and tapped his finger against the console. He didn't turn to look up at them and hung his head. He answered in a low voice, "We've tried this before…and the subject went a little insane after the upload. We have to wipe your friend's memory after everything is complete. If he has those memories, there's no way he'll be able handle the thought of a body switch."

"Will he remember the last couple days?" Alaura looked at Tanis, who lay unconscious, blood still covering his sickly pale skin. She rubbed her finger along her lip in thought and worry. If the end was near, they definitely needed him on their side. Then again…would it even matter?

The scientist replied, "We can alter his memories slightly if that's what you want."

"Yes. We need him to remember us and what has happened," Malachi acknowledged. He nodded to the two men that helped them and mouthed _thank you_ as they exited the room.

"We will do our best then." The scientist ushered them out of the room as he put on some protective goggles. Bright lights covered the room and sparks flew for a second. One scientist calmed the computer down and typed a few things in with rapid fingers.

Alaura and Malachi left the building hesitantly, but didn't say a word. They peered around the academy with wide eyes for a short moment. Students grouped together on their way to their classes, cars hung behind them in order to make a way through, guards patrolled the campus, and wildlife hung around. An electric panel standing in the middle of the walkway started playing a commercial.

"Space. The final frontier. Humanity used to wonder what was out there in the deep abyss. No one thought we would end up where we are today in 2717. Different countries united to create the Intergalactic Empire, our functional system of government that allowed us to go beyond the stars. _You_ can help make an impact on our government. Join Student Government and other political clubs to get started on your effort towards a better future."

Alaura was about to comment on something until a woman called her name. She turned around and knew who it was instantly. Short blonde hair, ravishing green eyes, high class dressing accompanied by glasses, Alaura couldn't believe she was here. "Lydia?" She choked out. Seven hundred years into the future and her best friend was still alive? She had a few wrinkles and she clearly appeared older, but not too much since they last met.

Lydia dropped everything and ran to her, embracing her in a tight hug. "Where have you been? We've been looking for you after you went missing and Kai is losing his mind with grief." She backed up a bit to take in Alaura's features and remarked, "You haven't aged a day."

 _Kai still thinks about me? After seven hundred years?_ Alaura bit her tongue and remained strong. She smiled crookedly and put a hand on her friend's shoulder. "I'm back now. How are you doing?"

Lydia lit up at the question and showed Alaura the giant ring on her finger. "I'm doing great! Married, five kids, oh, and I'm a professor here at the academy. I was studying The Traveler, but then it left the solar system. Not sure to where, but it left. There are sooo many things we need to catch up on! Starting with where the _hell_ have you been?"

 _It left?_ Alaura glanced at Malachi hesitantly and answered slowly, "Long story." Malachi remained quiet and watched their surroundings. Alaura took that as a sign to finish up and asked, "Is my family okay? How is my brother?"

Lydia's expression fell and her tone flattened, "Your brother is doing well. He's married with two children. But your mother…" Lydia's green eyes darkened and she looked away at the memory.

"Oh…" Alaura's voice broke and she coughed. Her eyes began to water and she quickly batted her eyelashes to make them fall back. She peered down at the ground for a moment with her hands on her hips until she composed herself. "Can I talk to my brother?"

Lydia hesitated and shook her head. She bit her lip and twiddled her thumbs before answering, "He said if we ever did find you, he didn't want to talk to you. You left him and your mother at such an early age. He didn't want to go through that again."

"Lydi-"

Lydia cut her off and handed her a card. She started walking away, but still faced her. "Look, I have to go to class. I'll catch up with you later, promise. Kai is stationed here, so go visit him. It'll ease his pain."

Alaura looked at the card and rubbed her thumb over Kai's name. "He's stationed on Mars…" she whispered, but she wasn't sure to whom. Saying it out loud made it feel more real. She stuffed the card in her pocket and pushed her sadness away. She had more important things to focus on right now, and keeping her mind off of it would help.

Malachi watched Alaura for a few seconds and bit the inside of his lip. He knew how it felt. One moment, she had her family. The next, it was gone. He couldn't fathom how much pain this journey was going to take them through. Malachi put a hand on Alaura's shoulder and apologized, "I'm sorry for your loss." Alaura nodded and headed back inside. She didn't want to explore the campus anymore. Her heart sunk and she kept her tears at bay, but she wasn't sure for how long.

"What do we do now since The Traveler is gone?" Malachi's brown eyes sorrowfully peered at her and he followed. They sat down in chairs next to the lab Tanis was in and finally rested for the first time in two days. He set his coat in his lap, placing the three ghosts underneath it. They tried to escape from it, but they butt heads and then fell down into his lap.

"Hell if I know," she replied quickly. She rested her head against the back of the chair and closed her blue eyes. Her chest rose and fell faster than normal. Holding all of the emotions in, along with the overwhelming feeling from earlier, only put stress on Alaura.

Malachi began, "Look, Alaur-"

"You don't need to say anything, Malachi. Just rest up until Tanis is ready," she snapped. She got into a more comfortable position and tried to take a nap.

Malachi stayed silent and nodded to himself. She didn't want to be messed with, and at the moment, he didn't blame her. All they could do was sit and wait.


	12. Drastic Measures

The giant robotic Warmind Rasputin hung in a circular room, tangled in cords far above the floor. The top half of the Warmind glowed crimson, outlining its brain through a thin layer of metal. The circular structure of metal's body hung low to the floor, a blue light revealing its skeleton of technology wires and panels. The room enveloped the Warmind in bright white light, reflecting off of the plain sky blue walls and flooring. A soft whirring and clicks were the only audible sound in the cold room.

Something was wrong.

Warmind Rasputin could feel it. It could have been anything. A shift in atmosphere, a black hole in the galaxy, a civil war in the Intergalactic Empire, the Warmind couldn't figure it out. Rasputin was the head warmind and strongest defense system to protect humanity. Not knowing of an impending threat sent a surge of power through its cords, almost like a human boost of adrenaline. It scanned the galaxy searching for the answer.

Searching.

Searching.

Found it.

A swirling, pitch black force moved its way through the galaxy, heading straight towards Earth. The Darkness passed Pluto slowly and swallowed it whole. Next, Neptune. Uranus. By the time it got to Saturn, the Warmind's processors hyped into overdrive to figure out a plan of defense.

Calculating…

Calculating…

Failure.

Restart.

Warmind Rasputin worked to find a solution to the imminent threat incoming, calculating and restarting every time the situation failed. With each failure, the warmind became more and more frantic on its search for success. Seconds turned into minutes and minutes only made the wait more agonizing.

Imminent failure.

The only solution for the problem was to let it take its course and cause thousands of lives to perish. Every positive solution simulation failed.

Two messages formed in Warmind Rasputin's mind, displaying itself on the small human control monitor on the other side of the room.

**_V120NNI800CLS000 CLEAR MORNING OUTCRY AI-COM/RSPN: ASSETS//FORCECON//IMPERATIVE IMMEDIATE ACTION ORDER_ **

_This is an ALL ASSETS IMPERATIVE (unsecured/OUTCRY)_

_CAUTERIZE. DISPERSE. ESTIVATE._

_Total strategic collapse imminent. FENRIR HEART reports complete operational mortality. SURTR DROWN in progress but negative effect. Forecasts unanimously predict terminal VOLUSPA failure._

_As of CLS000 a HARD CIVILIZATION KILL EVENT is in progress across the operational area._

_I am declaring YUGA SUNDOWN effective on receipt (epoch reach/FORCECON variant). Cancel counterforce objectives. Cancel population protection objectives. Format moral structures for MIDNIGHT EXIGENT._

_Execute long hold for reactivation._

**_AI-COM/RSPN SIGNOFF STOP STOP STOP V120NNI800CLS001_ **

As soon as the first message ended, a new one started.

**_> >WHISPER NEUTRINO NEEDLE>>_ **

**_V101NTS923ATS000 SECRET HADAL !!ABHOR!!_ **

**_AI-COM/RPSN: ASSETS//SUBTLE//IMPERATIVE_ **

**_CONTINGENT ACTION ORDER_ **

**_This is a SUBTLE ASSETS IMPERATIVE (NO HUMAN REVIEW) (NO AI-COM REVIEW) (secure/ABHOR)._ **

_Stand by for DECISION POINT:_

_If available ISR and WARWATCH indicates imminent [O] departure >then [O] departure compromises human/neohuman survival and epoch strategy_

_Stand by for ABHORRENT IMPERATIVE:_

_Activate LOKI CROWN Perform deniable authorization: full caedometric and noetic release Prevent [O] departure by any means available_

_Stand by for effect assessment criteria:_

_Coerce pseudoaltruistic [O] defensive action. Defer civilization kill._

**_STOP STOP STOP V101NTS923ATS001_ **

Of all the possibilities, of all the chances of humanity's survival, none of them seemed possible to the Warmind. It panicked in its own robotic way. The Intergalactic Empire would crumble under the Darkness and whatever was inside of it.

Rasputin rewrote the warminds' plans by canceling its defense objectives and replacing them with MIDNIGHT EXIGENT. All of the warminds would protect the information they held and collectively shut down until further notice. That could be days. Months.

Years.

Rasputin didn't care. If anything had to survive, it chose itself over humanity. Rasputin sent out the first message to the other warminds, but kept the second one for itself. Countermeasure ABHORRENT IMPERATIVE was a last resort objective that only the head warmind knew about. It would remain a secret until the event happened.

Warmind Rasputin shut down, leaving humanity to fend for itself against the Darkness.

 

Tanis' bright blue light eyes opened and clicked against the metal lids. He stretched his pale blue metallic limbs and sighed contently. He looked around the room and spotted a few scientists working on their projects. He didn't say anything to them and just looked into the reflective lamp next to him. His image was distorted, but he could see a metal gray horn above each eye, and a white stripe went down the middle of his pale blue face. He didn't feel any different, but somehow, he felt off.

He couldn't remember how he got to this place, but the last people he saw were Alaura and Malachi. They were on a mission, but for what? The destruction from the future hung in his mind and he couldn't shake it. Maybe their mission was to stop that from happening. It had to be something…

Tanis wobbled for a second when he started walking and steadied himself on one of the tables. He touched the metal and ran his fingers against it, creating a harsh sound. He retracted his hand and looked down at it for a minute. Nothing felt right, but he couldn't remember why.

He wandered outside of his room and shook his head when he saw his teammates sleeping. They appeared so peaceful, but extremely uncomfortable in the chairs they were sitting in. "Sleeping on the job now, guys?" Tanis questioned, the metal piece behind his mouth glowed blue as he spoke.

"Hey, man. Good to see you awake." Malachi's insides twisted at those words. He had convinced himself earlier to not get close to these two scrubs, but something told him to care about them. It kept pecking at his brain like a woodpecker to a tree. All he could do was remind himself of his surname to clear his mind. _Hartwell's don't care. Not anymore. Not since…_ Malachi rubbed his eyes tiredly and stood up to stretch his limbs out. He set his jacket with the ghosts inside down onto the chair. "We've been waiting a while."

Malachi pushed Alaura lightly to wake her up and she grumbled to herself sleepily. He snorted, "Never pegged you as the grouchy type when you woke up. You're grouchy enough as is when you're awake." Alaura punched his leg and Malachi knelt down to caress the wounded muscle. "Ow! See what I mean?"

"I didn't even punch you that hard…" She covered her mouth as she yawned. Her eyes drooped and she groaned from muscle aches surging throughout her body. That was their first time sleeping since the road trip a few days ago. A little energy boost helped, but it didn't stop the soreness.

Tanis straightened himself and looked around the place. Students holding backpacks walked around to find their classes. Some had bright shining eyes, eager to learn. Then there were the others who appeared dead tired with dark circles around their eyes. The buildings were tall and had giant glass windows on each floor. Jungle surrounded them; vines crept up on the side of the buildings and other life covered the ground. He couldn't smell anything, but he did feel a cool breeze from the air conditioning wash up against his metal face. Tanis narrowed his eyes and glanced back at his teammates. "Where are we?"

"Ishtar Academy, Venus. We're on Venus. Can you believe it?" Alaura smiled in excitement, flashing her white teeth for a short second. Even though the bad news from earlier stuck around in her mind, she tried to cover it up and move onto more positive things.

Alaura was…smiling. Tanis knew what smiling was, but he couldn't form one. He attempted to move his cheeks, but they were made of a flat metal. He could only move his mouth up and down. He thought it was odd how different he was from his comrades, but he shook the feeling off and continued the conversation normally. "Where were we before?"

Malachi peered at Alaura for a second. She glanced back at him with tired eyes, but her emotionless expression didn't give him any help. She watched him for his reaction, almost as if she were testing him to see if he was loyal to the team. What were they supposed to tell him? The truth? Some little white lie? The gears in his head turned quickly. He was about to answer until he heard screaming from outside of the building.

Tanis eyed Malachi's shifty behavior, but electricity surged through the cords in his brain. It seemed to give him a boost of energy and he seemed to panic, "What's happening?"

Security guards ran towards one side of campus near a huge angel statue in the middle of the quad. The angel had one foot forward and held a horseshoe to the sky. Whatever the meaning, it appeared to be a powerful symbol. "We're going to find out."

The three of them ran out to see a big projector use the side of the building as a screen. Urgent news messages popped up in flashing red text that the trio couldn't read. A newscaster came on and the text fell to the bottom of the screen. " There…there is a dark entity making its way through the solar system." It cut to a live feed of The Darkness swirling through the galaxy, devouring planets in darkness. It moved slowly, but it spread itself out thin enough to cover more space. The newscaster continued, "Everyone stay calm. Evacuations have already started on Jupiter and its moons. Updates will continue as we learn more about what's happening."

All the people in the quad ignored the rest of the news and flipped into panic mode. They all took off running towards the buildings or their vehicles. Things that looked like hover bikes, or Sparrows, as the ghosts called them, zoomed by the trio and the big mob of people. The three of them looked at each other in slight worry and asked simultaneously, "What have we gotten ourselves into?"

The ghosts wrestled out of Malachi's jacket and got a breath of fresh air. They peered around and whispered to each other. Most of it was analysis, but some of it was about the situation. Macey and Jarvis exchanged some possibilities. Dinklebot got straight to the point and questioned, "That lady said you have a friend stationed on Mars. We need to get there _now_."

Alaura's expression dulled and she paled. She wasn't expecting to confront her old team so quickly. She thought she'd have more time to adjust to this new time period and think of something intelligent to say to them. She nodded to the little ghost.

"The first line of defense is going to be stationed at Mars. They don't have enough time to set up one on Jupiter. If we get there early enough, we can try to stop the attack," Jarvis explained and looked around. Macey pointed to one of the big orange jumpships nearby. The ship could go into space and use its hyper-drive to get to the destination quicker. It was one of the newer models that could fit five people rather than one. "Ah, perfect."

Tanis walked to the jumpship after the ghosts rushed over to examine it. A blue light appeared from their eyes and scanned the ship in a grid-like pattern. They talked amongst themselves in excitement until the scan was complete. They couldn't believe the prototype schematics that they had when they arrived at Earth for the first time had been tinkered and evolved into something magnificent. Tanis touched the ship and rubbed his metal fingers along the steel ship. He felt the light running through it, almost like The Traveler blessed it itself. He could now sense the light The Traveler bestowed upon everything, and a sweep of emotions ran through him.

"There. Get in the ship. It's unlocked," Dinklebot declared as the door opened.

Malachi laughed for a short second at the little ghost bossing them around. "You forget that none of us know how to fly this thing. A helicopter is one thing, but not even She Hulk over here can fly this new tech."

Alaura glared at him before stepping foot into the ship. The inside lit up in a white light that glossed over the tan leather upholstery. The console buttons glowed different colors and twinkled on and off. Jarvis came to her defense, "This is our technology. We know how to operate it. We will fly it for you."

They had no other choice but to trust the ghosts. The team needed to get to Mars or lives would be lost. They were the only ones that knew a tiny bit about what was going on, so it was their unofficial duty to help. Sitting back and waiting for the end was an unacceptable fate, and they knew it. They all strapped in and their stomachs churned as the ship took off. The air pressure made their ears pop and they leaned back against their seats, almost like the same experience on a plane. Only this time, they reached for the stars. Literally.

 

"Well, I'll be damned. You must've walked right out of my dreams because you haven't aged a day," Xavier Jules stated with a slight smirk. His light brown eyes looked Alaura over a few times as if he were puzzled. He creased his forehead and more wrinkles appeared on his dark skin. Alaura could tell he had aged, but whatever treatments he took did wonders to cover up the massive aging.

Alaura snorted and went in for a hug. Xavier opened his arms and welcomed her in, hugging her tightly. She almost laughed, "Xavier, you still say the most sappy lines. I'm glad you didn’t change."

"We thought you ditched us for some black ops or something. Clearly you have a new team." Sheyla Yan narrowed her eyes at her previous commanding officer and the two men standing behind her. Her hair appeared freshly dyed brown and seemed to bring life to her pale, aged face. She carefully watched Alaura with her dark eyes. A sense of betrayal hung in them.

Xavier added to that on a lighter note, ignoring the blatant rudeness his teammate displayed, "Yeah. We were pretty lost without you, Petrovich. Martinez isn't half as good as a CO than you were."

Sheyla hit Xavier in the arm. She furrowed her eyebrows and scolded him, "Don't say that about Martinez. At least he's not a deserter."

Alaura hung back when Sheyla didn't greet her with open arms. She completely understood why, but it still hurt her to see a teammate do something like that. They used to be close. Alaura responded with slight sarcasm, "Thanks for the warm welcome, guys." It was just the other day that she saw them. For the team, it had been hundreds of years. "Where's Leroy?"

Xavier glanced away and the smirk disappeared. He cleared his throat and shifted his weight to the other leg. "He…he passed away some time ago."

Alaura's expression fell and she nodded. Not the first time she's had to deal with death. All she could do was compartmentalize and move on, as harsh as that sounded. She couldn't deal with this right now when lives were about to be at stake. "I'm sorry for leaving. Guys…I really am. I can't begin to explain what I've seen…" She trailed off when she spotted Kai Martinez walking towards them with a smile plastered on his face. When they made eye contact, he stopped walking and immediately turned around. _Damn. He hasn't aged a whole lot either. Just a few white strands and age lines that I can bug him about._

"Whatever. Tell that to Martinez and he'll tell you what we all think," Sheyla spouted out. She huffed and tried to hide the fact that she was upset. Alaura left all of them in a time of need. Nothing could fix that sort of abandonment. Sheyla walked out and dragged Xavier with her.

Alaura took giant strides to get to Kai, her best friend. His reaction didn't make sense in her mind; she thought he would be the one to run up to her first before anyone else had the chance to. The thought of him losing his mind with grief hung in her mind and the corners of her lips dropped into a frown. "Kai…I'm sorry."

Kai took a deep breath before turning around to face her.  His eyes stuck on her as a cold expression swept over his features. His brow furrowed and his cheeks flared red with frustration. He burst out by saying, "Really? You have the _audacity_ to show up now? Hundreds of years have passed since you just up and left. I thought you were _dead_. I visited your grave thousands of times..."

Kai inhaled sharply and held it for a second before exhaling. He dragged one hand down his cheeks and chin to regain his composure. His eyes screamed of sorrows beyond belief, but his anger and grief got the best of his tongue. "And _that's_ the first thing you're going to say to me? _You're sorry?_ No explanation on why you abandoned your team? Why you abandoned your family? Why you abandoned _me_?"

None of this was her fault. She didn't plan any of this. She did nothing wrong. The last time she saw him was when he was in the hospital. If it were up to her, she would never have these powers to begin with. Alaura still felt bad, nonetheless. "I'm sorry. I can explain, but it's a little crazy..."

"Sure." Kai huffed and shrugged. His cheeks twitched as he winced and declared with a broken tone, "Why not? I only had to wait hundreds of years in agony just wondering where you were. If you were alive. If you missed me as much as I missed you. You broke my heart and..."

An explosion boomed outside and debris hit the walls. People screamed and shots were fired, the sound echoing against all of the hills in the Mars terrain.


	13. K.I.A.

"Ew, why is this one sticky?" Malachi inquired, accompanied by a face of disgust. Macey took one look at the armor and shook herself out, as if she were also in disgust. She blinked a few times and ushered Malachi to pick out the piece of gray armor next to her.

Alaura stayed on the other side of the lockers. She rushed to put on heavy white armor that covered her entire body. She'd never worn head-to-toe armor before, so this was a first. "Just get some damn armor on. I can't have you two dying out there." Jarvis whispered some things into her ear, which caused her to chuckle to herself.

The trio was only in the locker room because Kai told them there was armor in there. If they were going to fight, they had to wear a uniform. He wasn't going to let them go out there unprotected. Kai watched the only entrance to the room to make sure no one would catch them. Impersonating army soldiers and taking armor was a serious crime. At a time like this, the government would have to understand. After hearing about aliens, death, destruction, and more, Kai gave in to the crazy idea of believing it all when Alaura gave him a certain look. He was still putty in her hands, even after all these years.

Tanis appeared clueless, but somehow, he knew what to do. As if…as if he's done this before. He put on the red armor in a haze, trying to remember something once lost to him. Wearing the armor and feeling The Traveler's light flow not only through the armor, but himself, brought back a sense of déjà vu.

Dinklebot watched him curiously. He couldn't hear his thoughts, but Tanis seemed troubled. Dinklebot bobbed up and down, notifying the other two ghosts to get ready. The ghosts glowed white for a second before disappearing into the armor. Dinklebot declared through the team's helmets, "Don't worry. We're still here. We're your personal communication line now."

"I guess that's better than an earpiece," Alaura commented sincerely. Earpieces were easy and portable, but inside of a helmet? That would be moist chaos with the possibility of it falling out. She grabbed her secondary weapon, a fusion rifle, and hooked it onto her back. Alaura got a good hold of her black automatic rifle and waved to the other two before leaving the locker room.

Malachi put his personal sniper rifle on his back. He set a baby blue hand cannon, a small six-chambered pistol, in his thigh holster. He could go on solo missions with confidence, but this? A war? _And_ he'd have to work in a team? He exhaled slowly and thought it over. _It's simple. Focus. Shoot. Reload._ He watched Tanis as he changed magazines in his scout rifle like a pro. Malachi's forehead creased in confusion. As far as he knew, Tanis didn't have any experience with weapons.

Tanis looked up for a second and did a double take when he realized Malachi was staring. He put his sidearm in its holster and held the white scout rifle with both hands. A blue light behind his mouth flickered along with his words, "Are you okay?"

The ghosts stayed quiet and didn't point the strange behavior out. Malachi wanted to say something, but retracted the thought of it. Questioning a team member that just underwent something life changing, and not know it, was probably the worst move. Distractions at a time like this weren't needed. Malachi nodded slowly and followed Alaura. Tanis shrugged off the curious manner his teammate displayed and walked out.

Xavier and Sheyla came back, pale from shock. Sweat fell down Xavier's brow and he held his gun with shaky hands. He yelled out to the group, "What the hell is going on? I didn't sign up to kill aliens." His brown eyes glanced to his side and he murmured to himself, "Leroy always said they would come. I didn't believe the bastard."

Sheyla looked at Xavier and reassured him quietly, "None of us did. What…what do we do?" She took her small pistol out and checked the clip to make sure it was full. Her bottom lip quivered in slight fear, but she quickly bit it to get it to stop.

"Defend the city. The people need to be evacuated to a city that's farther away," Alaura ordered. It was the best idea she had. The civilians needed protection while they fought. Otherwise, the death count would be significantly worse. Alaura nodded to Malachi and Tanis, who returned the gesture.

"Wait, you can't boss us around anymore. Kai is our commanding officer." Sheyla furrowed her brows and looked at Kai angrily. She pointed her finger above the pistol at the trio. "And why are they wearing armor? You know you can get put in jail for letting them take that."

Kai stayed quiet and just watched Alaura. His expression set in stone as stern, but the care in his eyes shown brighter than it ever had before. Alaura tried to remain calm. This could be handled. It had to be. Quickly. She lowly stated, "You have _no_ idea what you're getting into here."

"Oh, and you do?" Sheyla crossed her arms and narrowed her dark eyes at her.

Malachi stepped in and set one hand out, "It's complicated. Look, go tell some soldiers to take care of the city, and you can see what you're really up against." Alaura glanced over at him in respect for speaking up, even though she didn't need the help. Malachi nodded to her. He could see everyone's postures and immediately tell this conversation was heading south. Their gestures were closed off, defensive, and a little angry. Fighting right now when they needed to focus was a horrible idea.

Xavier stopped Sheyla from snapping back by setting his hand on her arm. She glared at him, but didn't say a word. Kai was grateful for Xavier stepping up. It allowed Kai to watch Alaura and carefully examine her expression for genuine reasoning. Her eyebrows knit together, blue eyes wide and full of urgency. Her cheeks flushed of color and she played with her hands in anticipation. A spark of care crossed Kai's eyes and he ordered his team,  "Go tell fireteam Hailstorm to evacuate the city."

"On it boss." Xavier acknowledged and dragged Sheyla with him out of the building.

"I'm trusting you. _Don't_ disappoint me _again_ ," Kai emphasized and gave Alaura a sincere look. Alaura bit her tongue and nodded. Disappointing him was the last thing she wanted to do. The three of them rushed outside with Kai to see what they were up against.

Soldiers scattered around the military base and yelling buzzed from outside of the building the fireteam was in. The surrounding area was mainly made up of dry, red sand. It was coarse in texture, but when the wind swept by, it flew up into the air like a tidal wave. Hills and ridges stretched for as far as the eye could see. Behind the small military base, way off in the distance, was a city. Skyscrapers reached for the sky; the glass panels the majority of the walls were practically made of entirely reflected the bright light from the sun.

The guardians and soldiers peered into the sky, and all fell silent for just a split second. Darkness expanded across the blue sky and swirled around the clouds. One of Mars' moons, Phobos, orbited around on the opposite side of The Darkness. If it were to be touched by it, who knows what would happen to it. The three guardians' breath caught in their throats. They knew what was about to happen, and none of it was going to be pretty. Giant garden green wormholes ripped through reality and big ships flew into Mars' airspace. The ships itself appeared to be in the shape of a nail's head, flat at the top and thinned down towards the bottom. A rectangular design was etched into the front and back of the ship. Green orbs lit up all around the designs and turrets flowered out of the opened hatches.

Huge purple bolts spouted from the tomb ships and headed towards the waking battlefield. The bolts exploded on the ground, the effect rippling the earth around it. The soldiers caught in the blast radius blew up into pieces. Other soldiers took one look at their fellow brothers and sisters, and raised their guns at the ships. They sprayed bullets at the enemy aircraft, managing to take out one of the turrets of the leading ship.

Jarvis' English accented voice echoed over their personal communications line, "Axion Darts, those wretched things. Stay away from them, or the Hive will get the upper hand when you're distracted."

Malachi snorted, "Oh, you mean I wasn't supposed to stand in its path and wait for death to whisk me away?"

Alaura glared at him. Malachi could feel her glare, even though she was wearing a helmet. She made sure the magazine in her weapon was fully in place. Never hurt to check. She peered forward onto the awaiting battlefield and stated lowly, "We've got work to do, boys. Let's lead this charge."

"Why can't we go back to the simple times where we wouldn't have to charge headfirst into death?" Malachi turned to the small pistol in her hands to check if it had a full chamber. He spun the chamber around, letting it roll many times before it clicked in place. He grudgingly followed Alaura as she ran ahead of the group.

Tanis stood there confused for a moment. His eyes clicked shut a few times before he questioned, "Were there simple times before now?" He held onto his scout rifle and stayed one step behind the other two.

Alaura caught onto Tanis' confusion and quickly diverted the conversation, "Your focus needs to stay on the enemies. We'll discuss things later." She abruptly stopped when the enemies started flooding the stretch of empty land in front of them.

A gray swirl of dust and particles fell from the tomb ships and came together to form a few dozen Hive acolytes and knights. The acolytes were smaller versions of knights, holding nothing but small guns in their bony hands. All of the Hive acolyte's pale bodies were bony and the cloth they carried on their torsos seemed torn like old cloth. The knights were much bigger and bulkier, as if their burgundy bones were their own hard shelled armor. Their heads formed a big half star shape. All of the Hive's three glowing green eyes stared ahead at the soldiers, bloodthirsty for battle. The aliens charged first, firing the first shot on the battlefield. The acolytes' guns fired a few shots at a time like a pulse rifle, while some knights blew out heavy shots that burst like a meteor impacting the Earth. Other knights took the lead, large bulky swords in hand just ready to dive into someone's chest.

Alaura fired her automatic rifle at the enemy. God, she loved a good automatic. The smell of the sulfur, the fire rate, it all felt satisfying. Her heart was as steady as a ticking clock. _Tick._ Fire. _Tick._ Fire. _Tick._ Fire. A few of the enemies crumbled to pieces when they died. "Reloading!" She called out to her teammates.

Malachi focused in on the scope of his sniper rifle. He let out a breath and fired five rounds, one after the other. Five acolytes went down and their corpses disappeared. He fired off the last two rounds at a single knight's chest, but he kept surging forward. "Aim for the head! Reloading."

Tanis covered Malachi and peered down the scout rifle's scope. The enemies became easier to see and closer, allowing him to line up the perfect headshot on the knight. _Bam_. Down for the taking. He fired one bullet after the other consecutively and took down acolytes. When one got too close, he thrust his hand out and quickly retracted it. The acolyte glowed purple before disappearing. Tanis felt more energized than before and he glanced down at his hand. It glowed the same purple color. He vaguely remembered something about a grenade-like ability that he had that ate up the playground days ago, but he wasn't sure if that was the same as now.

Alaura noticed Tanis holding back for a second and she shot at every enemy that came at him. All she could hear was her heart beat and the rapid burst of bullets firing from guns. Enemies had tore past the three of them and pushed some of the soldiers back. Others screamed in horror as they fell to the ground with mortal wounds. A blue glow surrounded her hands and she immediately punched the acolyte next to her. Electricity sparked through its body and stunned it long enough until it died.

Malachi whipped out the hand cannon and pointed it directly in front of him in one swift move. _Bang. Bang. Bang._ It had a little kick to it that caused his continuous firing to be off by a hair. He paused for a second between each shot to get the perfect aim on the enemies that charged forward. _Bang…Bang…Bang…_

The tomb ships fired at the field. The Axion Darts didn't effect any of the Hive in its path, but the soldiers caught in the blast were obliterated. Some of them were pinned down in the middle of all of the enemies, so they could do nothing but keep firing until their demise. Fireteam Riptide saw an Axion Dart head their way and they scattered. Xavier didn't make it far enough and his side got clipped in the blast. Fireteam Riptide scrambled to get back in formation. Xavier screamed as he lay on the ground, holding what was left of his left shoulder. His feet kicked the sand and he writhed in pain. His whole arm had been blasted off, leaving nothing but just a burnt shoulder.

Alaura whipped around to look at the problem. She could barely see Xavier on the ground through the waves and waves of bodies of enemies and soldiers. She quickly turned to her team to make sure they were doing okay.

Malachi launched a knife towards Alaura, which caused her to quickly duck. Before she could say anything vulgar, an acolyte shrieked behind her. The knife lodged itself between its three glowing green eyes. The creature crumbled apart and disappeared, its cries still echoing in Malachi's mind. Alaura looked at him warily. For a second, she thought he was really aiming for her. He chuckled lightly and pointed out, "I got you."

Thralls teleported down from the tomb ships. Their bony white bodies appeared to have small bits of armor encrusted into their skin. The thralls' small roundish heads were black on top, while their jaw and bony cheeks were white. They had no eyes, but somehow, they could sense where the soldiers were at. Their short screams echoed through the air and drew everyone's attention. They ran at quick speeds towards the soldiers and their three fingered claws lit up in a blue color. They tore through armor without any trouble, killing some soldiers on impact. Others scrambled backwards and shot the thrall, but quickly got overwhelmed and surrounded by others.

Floating Hive witches spawned on the ground and immediately flew around the battlefield. Their ancient armor appeared torn up in places, and their long, crumbling cloaks floated behind them. A red aura surrounded each one, almost like a shield. They threw their three fingered hands out and bolts of blue electricity flew towards the battlefield from afar.

The knights around the three guardians put one hand out in front of them when they were attacked, and a black wall of darkness formed in front of them as shields. Tanis remained as focused and steady as he could. He killed thralls with ease and without thinking, he threw out a grenade from thin air. It fell in between some of the Hive, and a big purple ball formed in the air. The Hive around it got sucked into the vortex field and died. "Did I really do that?" He wondered out loud. Even he was in disbelief, which shook him out of focus.

"Yeah, you did. It was kind of awesome," Malachi admitted. One of the thralls hit him in the arm and he clenched his jaw. He put the gun to its head and shot one round off. He watched it as it fell and moved on to the next target. He asked through his clenched teeth, "Remind me again of how he's so good at fighting, ghosts?"

"Macey is getting on that now. She's trying to hack into the army's database. It might take some time," Jarvis spoke up, which echoed in all three of their helmets.

Alaura swung around and punched a thrall square in the face. When it didn't die, she hit it again, but with much less energy. It flew backwards and disappeared. She was getting out of breath and sweat dropped down from her forehead. "What would the army know about Exos?" She asked, her voice unsteady. When the knights' shields went down, she fired her gun at them.

"We don't know, but we're going to see if they know anything. We never designed the Exos to be capable of fighting like this," Dinklebot stated clearly, his deep voice soothing to their sore ears.

Xavier Jules' deep scream filled the air. He was surrounded by thralls; all of them dug their sharp claws into him. Xavier choked out another cry before falling limp on the ground. Sheyla Yan screamed in anger and pain when she saw her teammate die. She shot a round off of her grenade launcher, which landed in the middle of the group and exploded. The thralls collapsed all at once and fell lifeless. She ran over and kicked one of the bodies out of anger and threw her knife at a live acolyte.

"Yan, nine-o-clock!" Kai yelled out in a hurry. He raced to her and shot at the two witches that were firing at Yan. Sheyla quickly looked up at the witches and dove to the side, but a blast that was originally not going to hit her collided with her chest. She yelped out in pain, allowing both witches to fire everything they had at her. Sheyla's body was torn to pieces by the bolts of electricity, and her communications fell silent. Kai cried out, which caught Alaura's attention. When she noticed what had happened to Xavier and Sheyla, she bolted towards Kai.

"Where the hell are you going?" Malachi called out to her. He stuck his knife into an acolyte and pulled it back out. He kicked its fading body aside and threw the small weapon at an incoming thrall.

"To help Kai! Cover me!" She yelled back in determination. There was no way in hell she was going to let Kai fight alone. No back up. Nothing. He needed the help. Kai reloaded his gun and threw the old clip aside. Alaura fired at one of the witches, eventually breaking down its red solar shield. "That one! Two-o-clock! Kill it!" She ordered and Kai acknowledged it. Both of them fired at the witch, and before it could flee, it died and melted before it could hit the ground.

Soldiers were dying left and right. Hive bodies fell and disappeared. Blood stained the battlefield, and little inklings of Darkness were left behind in the sand. The smell of iron and sulfur became heavier by the minute. As the Hive got close and personal, the stench of death clouded everything else. Gun shots still rang out, but at this point, ammo was running out for most of the army soldiers. Darkness loomed ahead and more of its spawn fell onto the ground.

Malachi and Tanis slowly backed their way up to Alaura and Kai. Malachi's golden gun appeared in his free hand and he joyfully accepted it. His hands were on fire, the flames also engulfing the gun. Piecing two and two together, he two shots at the other witch that hung in the air. Its shield fell down easier than it had with regular weapons. He fired the last shot at its head and it shrieked before disintegrating into nothing. He mentally patted himself on the back for that. Since his teammates didn't have the same color ability, he waited to tell them the news.

Tanis switched over to his sidearm when he got tired of firing slow, consecutive shots. He fired the pistol rapidly at the acolytes and thralls headed towards the group. Some of the Hive fell and distracted others, who followed the same fate.

Alaura shot at everything that came her way. A sense of urgency washed over her. The sting of her old teammates dying hadn't hit her yet. She was stuck in the runner's high of killing Hive off. The light from The Traveler flowed through her and energized her in a way she had never felt before in battle. She kicked an acolyte to the side and punched a knight in the chest. When that didn't work, she dodged its attack with the sword and shot it in the head a few times. Protecting Kai was her mission right now. She just got him back. He just got her back. They couldn't just let go so quickly.

"I'm out of ammo!" Kai called out. He hit one acolyte in the face with the butt of his gun, causing it to stumble backwards.

"I don't have the same ammo as you…Just…" Alaura's mind raced with ideas, but all of them seemed horrible. Everything was hazy and she tried to get a grasp on a good idea. She was too focused on the battle to do anything. Survival was the only option.

Suddenly, there was screaming. Shots were fired at close range, the heat and sulfur hung heavy in the air. Alaura cried out and fell to the ground.


	14. Mistakes were Made

An acolyte came up behind Alaura and went in for a close ranged kill. Kai dashed to cover her and kicked the Hive creature away, but the blaster still fired. The three icy blue bolts clawed its way into Kai's stomach. Kai let out an ear-piercing scream as he fell to the ground. He accidentally knocked Alaura off balance in the process and she cried out as she fell in surprise.

Malachi and Tanis killed the remaining Hive and took a second to breathe. The two men set their guns to their sides and swayed back and forth, unsteady on their tired feet. Tanis felt tired, but he didn't feel like he wanted to sleep. That's where Malachi differed. All he wanted to do was sleep. He couldn’t stand battles this long. Back alley fighting was never _this_ long.

Alaura scrambled on her knees to Kai and set her gun down beside her. Her lungs wouldn't let her take in too much air and she felt like she was choking. Her runner's high faded and was now replaced with urgency and fear. _He saved me._ Alaura carefully Kai's helmet off and held him up. Her voice wavered for a second, "You haven't given up on me for _all_ these years. Don't give up _now_." Alaura took off her helmet so he could see her face. At this point, tears trailed down her cheeks, and she tried to wipe them away quickly.

Kai's expression lit up as much as it could at the sight of her. It was as if he couldn't feel the excruciating pain coming from his abdomen. Blood stained his armor and stuck to Alaura's white armored hands as she grazed the wound in an attempt to cover it. Kai chuckled lightly, but he choked on a gasp before recalling words he had said to her long ago, "It was an order."

"I've let you down again…" her heart cracked at the thought of it. The memory of Kai getting hit with a rocket on that hilltop flashed through her mind. The fear, the anger, the flash of pain at the thought of losing him, she remembered all of it. Now, here she was in a similar situation. She ran over to protect him, not get him killed. A flood of emotions came over her, and the death of her original teammates finally hit her. Their screams. Their pain. What they thought of her all these years. They thought she abandoned them for a better team. God, no….They were family. She could never leave them on purpose.

"You didn't…" He set his hand on her cheek and smirked his signature smirk where he lifted one side of his lips. Some of his yellowing teeth showed, but all Alaura could picture was when he looked like when he was younger. The way he would smile and it would just melt her heart. The way he would gaze at her, so lovingly and full of happiness. His dark, fading eyes locked onto her blue ones. "I've _always_ loved you, Alaura. I'm _so_ sorry. I wish I could've said it to you a million times over."

"Don't be sorry. Don't." Alaura cracked a small smile through the pain. She didn't want her pain to be the last thing that Kai saw. "We couldn't…" she paused and decided not to continue on with that sentence. It only brought up the horrible fact that they lost all that time together. There was nothing they could do to get it back. She sniffled and her smile wavered. "That doesn't matter now. What matters is that I love you, Kai." Alaura ran a hand down his scruffy face and kept smiling, even though tears poured out of her eyes like a river. She blinked a few times and caught the last remaining light in his eyes before he passed away.

Not a lot of people truly know how difficult it was for Alaura and Kai. Small flirting led to a fling, which in turn led to one of the best weeks of their lives… Only to find out that they were assigned to the same team. Over the years, their attraction grew stronger with every moment they shared. Love bloomed. She loved him and he loved her just as much, if not more.

Alaura set Kai down on the sand gently. She shakily grabbed his dog tags and clutched them in her hand. Her heart shattered and her sobs grew louder with each short breath. Her lungs couldn't take in more air; for a second, she truly felt like she was drowning in her sorrows.

Alaura tuned everything out. Her environment blurred around her. Her head felt numb. First her mother and Leroy were dead. Then her brother never wanted to see her again. Now Kai? Alaura's hands grew warm and heated up. A blue spark danced throughout her veins and caused her hands to glow an electric blue.

Now, he's dead.

_Dead._

Alaura's best friend was dead.

A sheer, broken cry erupted out of Alaura's throat and echoed over comms. Malachi and Tanis' attentions snapped to her to see if she was okay. Tanis lowered his gun and watched as Alaura sobbed loudly. His mouth dropped; he blinked a few times as his mind raced with calculations. He had calculated that at least two of them should have survived around that area. They shouldn't have died. Maybe his calculations were wrong. The guardians certainly underestimated what the enemy could do. The ghosts said the enemies were dangerous, but Tanis didn't take into consideration of what that truly meant. He had never been in combat. How would he know? But…something in the back of his mind recalled something familiar about being in battle. The sight, the sounds of death and war cries, the non-stop fire of weapons, it all felt so familiar…

Malachi's jaw clenched. His heart stopped when he saw Alaura holding Kai in her arms. His reality distorted and he fell back into a memory.

_Malachi held a woman in his arms as he screamed. He attempted to stop the bleeding, but she had lost so much already. Her blood stained his skin and her skin paled. The warmth that emanated from her seemed to grow cold and distant with the sound of her heartbeat. Her once bright brown eyes now faded into nothingness._

_"No! No! Don't leave me! Please…" Malachi's voice broke and he lowered his head. His fresh tears fell like soft rain onto the woman's corpse. He let out a quiet, broken whisper, "Don't leave me alone…"_

Malachi snapped back to reality when Macey flashed red lights inside of his helmet. _Don't get attached…_ He grimly reminded himself. Never again. Getting attached was a surefire way to losing some sanity. Right now, he needed as much sanity as he could. He clenched his teeth and tried to avert his attention to his hand cannon. He checked to see how much ammo he had left. Thirty six bullets. _Better make those last._ He thought bitterly.

Any of the remaining soldiers left had ran towards the city. Some left for medical attention, others felt the sense of need to protect the people from this monstrosity of a race. The red sanded battlefield was now full of lifeless corpses and heavy air. Smoke, sulfur, metallic, and putrid death all clung together in the air and mixed together. If Tanis had a sense of smell, he would probably vomit.

A new wave of tomb ships floated in from portals that tore through reality. Hive soldiers transported down, but this time, it was just acolytes and thralls. They seemed to appear in larger numbers than the knights and wizards, so they must've been the regular common soldiers. The higher up the chain, the smaller the numbers.

"Oh, come on," Malachi whined. He tilted his head back in exhaustion and groaned. He just got his breath under control. Now there's more? "You've got to be fucking kidding me."

"How many do you think there are?" Tanis questioned and set his gun down.

Alaura put the dog tags around her neck and stuffed them inside of her armor. She put on her helmet and exhaled loudly to steady her fast heart rate. Her hands lit up brighter and brighter by the second. She grit her teeth and growled lowly, "It doesn't matter."

Alaura broke out into a sprint towards the new wave of Hive. The acolytes and thrall screeched back before charging at her. Rage coursed through her illuminated veins. She picked up speed and screamed out before she jumped into the air. Alaura threw her fists down onto the ground at the same time as she landed. The blue spark of electricity from her hands jumped into the earth to cause an big explosion of light around her. The Hive creatures got caught in the blast and crumbled apart.

Malachi and Tanis peered at each other in worry. They wanted to stop her from getting out of hand, but that would mean they had to actually confront her. In her moment of pure rage and loss, they decided it would be best to let her finish off the wave. Intervening only meant conflict. Conflict meant one of them was going to get knocked the hell out, and in this situation, it wasn't going to be Alaura.

Alaura jumped up from the ground and aimed for the thrall coming her way. They all seemed to line up perfectly for the shot. The blue electricity still danced across her fingers, so she super punched all of the thrall as hard as she could. They all fell to the ground and disappeared into little flecks of darkness.

Before she knew it, the wave was over. No more Hive spawned in from incoming tomb ships. The Mars terrain fell silent. The breeze carried some red sand away, along with smoke and some of the strong stench of death. The sun beat down on the guardians hot and heavy. Alaura and Malachi baked in their outfits, and Tanis felt as if he were overheating.

Alaura threw her helmet aside. She fell to her knees and just screamed as loud as she could. Her cry echoed through the Mars terrain, bouncing off of small hills and cliff sides. She hurt so much that all she could do was scream without taking a breath. Her heart felt like it was ripped out of her chest and incinerated before her blue eyes. Nothing could bring them back. _Nothing_.

Malachi and Tanis glanced at each other and took off their helmets. The fresh air hit their faces. It felt cool against Malachi's sweat-glistening skin. The cool air soothed Tanis' heated metal face and he closed his eyes in delight for a moment. When the moment of brief delight passed, both of them walked to Alaura and sat on either side of her. She kept shrieking in agony until she couldn't any more. Her team members waited patiently next to her. They saw how much she hurt. How much her old team meant to her. Malachi felt bad for her. A sense of care swept over him and he tried to brush it off. Tanis worried for her mental health and set his hand on her shoulder, letting her know he was there for her.

The ghosts appeared from outside of the armor and surveyed the situation with their own eyes. They remained quiet and bobbed up and down in the air slowly. Dinklebot watched the area around them carefully. A part of the ghost was in disbelief, but a few thoughts processed in its mind. Macey went over to Malachi when she saw his sad expression. Jarvis bumped Alaura a few times to get her attention and then nuzzled up next to her. She was in distress and it hated seeing his guardian in such pain. She held onto the little ghost and hugged it gently.

Dinklebot's eye zoomed in on something in the distance. Vex traveled down a ways away on the Mars terrain. They marched in formation and in sync, weapons held to their cold metal chests. A few hefty built Vex, known as minotaurs, traveled at the back of the group. Goblins, which were regular foot soldiers, and hobgoblins, the snipers of the pack, surged forward in their journey.

Dinklebot glanced back at the guardians and announced, "Not to rain on any of your parades, but there are Vex marching towards the city. As tired as you may be, we need to take care of them."

Malachi wiped sweat from his brow. He resisted from putting his hand on Alaura's shoulder as a sign of comfort and sat back in the sand. He scoffed in exhaustion, " _We?_ Be my guest, Dinklebot. You go slay some robots."

Tanis peered at his teammates. Malachi appeared troubled. His flat expression and dead eyes told it all. Alaura was in distress. She had finally stopped screaming and allowed the setting to fall quiet, but the way she held herself in such a broken way screamed louder than her voice ever could. This was definitely not the time to move on to the next battle. He followed Malachi's lead, "Yeah, I think we're going to stay here and rest for a second."

Alaura let go of Jarvis; he flew up into the air and continued to watch her silently. Alaura wiped her nose and sucked in a breath. Her hoarse voice cracked in several places, "He's right. We have to kill them."

Tanis quickly disagreed, "Right now? I think you deserve a breather."

Malachi stared off into the distance to avert his thoughts to another topic. He agreed with Tanis and asked Alaura, "Are you sure you're up for more?" That question wasn't completely aimed at her. He also questioned himself. Was he up for more fighting? Heartbreak? Death? Loss? It was bound to happen, but he didn't feel completely sure he was up for all of the suffering.

Alaura grimly reminded herself of what had happened to her team. The pain scrambled up inside of her and twisted into anger. Those emotions turned into her drive to eliminate any hostiles in her path. She grit her teeth harshly and put on her sandy helmet. "I'm sure."

"What about reinforcements?" Tanis reloaded his scout rifle slowly. He performed the action without thinking about it, as if it were a reflex. Questions floated around in his mind, yet he pushed them aside to ponder later on when things weren't so hectic.

Jarvis responded to his question, "Macey has already done so, and none can be deployed so quickly. They aren't coming." He flew towards Alaura's helmet and vanished in a white light before he hit it. The other two ghosts did the same with their respective guardian.

Malachi scoffed in reflex, "Figures. That's _great_ government action right there. Typical." He never trusted the government to get any job done. Government employees were all pathological liars with unfulfilled promises. If they stopped caring about their own salaries and raises, they could give a little of that to the lower class. If they wouldn't have been so damn selfish, Malachi wouldn't have resorted to doing what he did to survive. He looked out towards the Vex and pulled out his hand cannon.

Tanis looked down at the ground for a short period and sighed. "I guess it is just us then."

Alaura stood up on her wobbly legs and almost fell over. She balanced herself out, allowing some sand to fall off of her helmet. Her hand yanked the fusion rifle off of her back and examined it. "Jarvis, how the hell do you shoot this gun?"

"Hold the trigger and then release it. The longer you hold, the more powerful the blast," Jarvis' British accent echoed inside of Alaura's crowded helmet.

The Vex spotted the trio and changed their path to head towards them. The minotaurs twisted their weapons and adjusted them. They fired off a few warning shots, the giant bolts exploding on impact just a few feet ahead of the guardians. The smaller robots took charge and teleported closer, their forms surrounded by a purple light. The minotaurs teleported faster and more aggressively than the others, screaming a high pitched whine.

The guardians aimed their weapons at the Vex, all set and ready to go. Tanis hesitated as this feeling of warmth and immense light washed over him. He lowered his gun and blinked a few times. A voice inside of his mind whispered joyfully, _It's back! It's here! It's here._ Tanis set a hand on his metal head and closed his eyes. "Guys, something's coming."

"Yeah, our impending doom," Malachi retorted.

Alaura glanced over at Tanis. Even though he couldn't move much of his face, Alaura could tell he was either confused or frustrated. She questioned, "What are you talking about, Tanis?"

A loud crackle ripped through the sky. Everyone's attention snapped up to it. Bright white lightning dashed across the darkened sky, causing The Darkness to hiss and reel back in pain. The Traveler came into view against some blue sky. White light emanated off of it, and it sent another set of bolts towards its enemy. The Darkness shot its own inky blackness at it, but it didn't work. The light and the dark canceled each other out. The Traveler surged another attack and managed to push The Darkness farther away.

The Darkness retreated towards the asteroid belt. With the asteroids and its surroundings, it thought it would be safe. As long as it had a foothold in the galaxy, its spawn of worshippers could travel through it.

The Vex witnessed The Darkness' retreat. They knelt down as if they were worshipping something and vanished into thin air. The trio was prepared to fight, but god, did it feel good to not have to. They holstered their weapons and let out a sigh of relief.

This battle was only the beginning.


	15. Questions and No Answers

Red dirt swirled around by wind, up and down hills on the Mars terrain. Bodies lined the ground, the stench of blood and burnt objects still in the air. Sirens started going off in the city. The evacuation process had begun. The remaining soldiers made it to the city, leaving the military base empty of life. Malachi, Alaura, and Tanis sat on the ground outside one of the buildings on the base, silently contemplating to themselves. Exhaustion racked through their systems and slight bits of horror flashed in their minds.

Malachi watched his teammates while in a daze. He couldn't stay focused on them and let his mind wander. He remembered. He remembered _her_. Malachi inhaled deeply and tried to overpower the pain in his heart. That was the first time in a long time that he had relived the memory. His jaw clenched tightly as he stared blankly ahead of him.

Tanis peered up at The Traveler in confusion. He didn't know who he was anymore. He felt like he could do everything his teammates could. Smile, frown, move his forehead, but he couldn't do any of that now. How could he be so different? How could he not remember anything? He remembered meeting them, but anything before that was a blur. As he searched his mind, the only memories that popped up had his team in it. No one else. There's no way he could only know two people in the world.

After a while, Alaura managed to speak up through a broken voice, "What the fuck happened?" Alaura stared at Kai's dog tags. A pain in her chest constricted her lungs, causing her to gasp for air for a second. She curled her hand up and hung her head. "We saw ourselves dead, and now we've traveled into the future? We were just attacked by aliens and…" Alaura paused and took in a shaky breath before continuing, "… _my entire team_ was wiped out. What is going on?"

Malachi glanced at Alaura, confused about what to do. He saw her pain and the guilty look in her eye. She felt responsible for her team's death, and he couldn't blame her. He would've done the same thing. That's why he worked alone for the most part. If he didn't have anyone, he wouldn't have to worry about risking their lives or the pain that arose later. Lonely lifestyle, but it was simple in the end.

Now…Now he had a team. He didn't have to care for them or help, yet he felt compelled to, as if they were all tied together somehow. The Light beckoned him closer. With every step he took, he became more and more afraid to lose everything he had. Malachi stayed silent, lost in his own conflicted thoughts.

Dinklebot sighed and stared off into the distance. Macey shook herself as if she were a dog and rested on one of the boxes nearby. No one answered Alaura. Most of them didn't know what to say. She just lost everything. Her family. Her team. Nothing they could say would soothe her broken heart.

Jarvis looked at all of them and the back of his shell twirled around once. He blinked, and his eye shined a blazing blue before speaking, "The Vex can travel through time via time gates. The past, present, and future are at their disposal. There's a possibility for anything to happen, so the chances of them being able to counteract them are endless. When we stepped through the gate, we ended up in a time called _The Golden Age_. From what Macey was able to gather from the system, we're at the very end of it. Once the Darkness takes over, that's it. Humanity will become extinct. We're at the brink of a collapse."

Dinklebot looked at the other two ghosts and the light in its eye went out for a few seconds, as if he became frustrated. He simplified it as much as he could, "Basically, we altered time and now we're all screwed."

Jarvis bobbed up and down in agreement. "Yes…we altered time just by being here. Who knows what else we've changed in our actions."

Tanis spoke up first, "How do we get back?"

"You don't." Dinklebot stated bluntly.

Jarvis built upon what his colleague said and a dark tone settled in the depth of his British accent, "There are hundreds of years between then and now. You'd have to go through the portal countless times before you get back to your own."

Malachi didn't move his gaze from the scenery. He sighed heavily, his heart aching from the news. "So is the future we saw set in stone? Is that really what's going to happen?" Making a last stand was noble. Seeing humanity crumble? That's the last thing he'd want to do in his life. Why couldn't they just leave it to someone else? They've done enough damage as is, or so Malachi thought.

Jarvis and Dinklebot responded simultaneously, "We don't know."

Alaura cleared her throat and lifted her head so she could look at her new team. They appeared broken, confused, and lost. _I could whip 'em into shape…They need to be strong to fight this…if we can fight this at all._ She thought to herself. "We could try to change it. Then again, that could be exactly what causes it."

"Precisely." Jarvis replied.

"Why must the concept of time be so complicated?" Tanis wondered out loud in frustration. He rubbed his left temple and listened as the metal of his fingers scraped against his metal face.

"Well, we're going to stay and fight. There are no other options," Alaura concluded. She stood up and put Kai's dog tags around her neck. Her eyes shifted from Malachi to Tanis, who made no effort to look at her. "We were given these powers for a reason. Let's use them to our advantage. All we have to do is learn how to use them correctly."

Macey moved a bit from her resting place and projected, "Using your powers because of extreme emotion isn't the way to go. I think training is a good idea."

"I'm in," Tanis responded quickly. "If I can learn more about my powers…then maybe I can learn a bit more about myself in the process."

 Alaura and Tanis peered at Malachi. For the longest time, he stayed still, lost in his own thoughts. He traced his thumb across his jaw, brushing by stubble and dirt along the way. He licked his lips and talked lowly, "I uh…I haven't worked in a team in a long time. I'm not really comfortable with it…And killing aliens? Stopping the collapse? We're not heroes. We're people. We can't just win this upcoming war."

Tanis shook his head at Malachi's negativity. "You worked fine out there on the battlefield. We were mowing aliens down like no tomorrow. I count that as being able to work as a team."

"Yeah, and it doesn't matter if we win the war. We just…We just have to save humanity. _No matter the cost_ ," Alaura emphasized. Standing by and doing nothing while humanity crumbled was _not_ on her to do list. If they could stop it, even if it hardly makes a difference, at least they tried.

Malachi scoffed, "So, what? After this crisis is over, can humanity protect itself from these alien bastards?"

"We'll never know until it happens." Alaura walked to him and held her hand out. She waited for a couple seconds before adding, "We could really use you on our team. You're a quick thinker and you can finally prove what a damn good sharpshooter you are."

Malachi stared at her hand and mulled it over. He ran his tongue over his teeth and made a high pitched sound. A sudden smile swept over his lips as he asked, "Was that finally a compliment?"

Alaura stifled a snort and watched as he looked up at her. It took all of her strength to not say something witty. She inhaled deeply and declared softly, "Don't get used to it. Are you on our team, or not?"

His hand twitched slightly and that's when he knew. He'd rather go out with a bang than being alone waiting for the sweet release of death. Having a team was a setback for him and brought up so many unwanted memories, but everything has a downside. All he had to do was make the best of it. Malachi took Alaura's hand and stood up. "I'm in."

 

Hours seemed to excruciatingly pass. They scavenged the base for ammo and some food. At one point, they came across the armory. The ghosts excitedly whispered to each other about the machine guns and rocket launchers. Once the team asked about it and became informed, they each grabbed a weapon. Alaura gladly snatched one of the rocket launchers off of the wall, while Malachi and Tanis picked out machine guns.

They wandered for a bit after that, ammo restocked and weapons loaded. Alaura yawned and mentioned something about sleep, so they headed to the barracks for some rest. The huge room was messy. Papers strewn about, books open on the floor, beds unmade, trash everywhere, it was a disaster. The soldiers that left must've taken everything they could grab before they ran for the city. The tan walls reflected the look of the sunset washing in from the windows and bounced off of the hard wooden floor. All three of them set their weapons down next to the beds they claimed.

Tanis took interest in the lockers on the far side of the room and looked them over. He brushed his metal fingers against some of the ajar doors to peek inside. "Guys, check out the lockers. They left them open."

Alaura couldn't wait to remove her armor. She was glad she had thin clothing on underneath; the hot Mars temperature was almost as bad as that desert mission she had a while back. One hundred degrees with armor and supplies added on nearly drowned her in sweat and aching muscles. Alaura sat down on the hard bed she had chosen and rubbed her sore neck. "We can't just go through their stuff."

"We don't really have any other clothes." Malachi joined Tanis in peering through them. He had a point. They only had thin clothes underneath the heavy armor. The clothes they came in were dirty and used. What was the harm in taking some clothes?

"Plus, they abandoned the place. They aren't using them anytime soon," Tanis added with a shrug. His bright mechanical eyes flickered from Alaura to Malachi, then back to the lockers. He sifted through one of them, looking for nothing in particular.

Alaura stared at her teammates in dismay. "Seriously?"

"I'm taking this coat. It's official," Tanis pulled a long, black coat from the locker. The soft material was laced with silver markings along the sides and the bottom trim. He admired it for a second before putting it on hastily.

"Fine," Alaura acknowledged. She joined them in their rummaging party and grabbed a duffel bag from the side of one of the beds. She emptied the contents and searched through clothes in the locker to find sizes she could comfortably fit in. Alaura pulled out a fine long blue cloth with a gold border line. She ran her fingers across it and suppressed a smile. If the boys knew she was glad she found something so nice, they would point it out and mock her for not joining them sooner. Alaura tucked the cloth into the belt on her waist and let it dangle down.

Malachi put a few shirts on his arm until he discovered a long gray hood and cloak resting on one of the hangers. He dropped the shirts onto the bed next to him and instantly yanked the cloak out. He put it on over his armor and stood in front of the full body mirror in the corner. Malachi quirked an eyebrow and nodded to himself in approval.

Alaura peered over at him and couldn't resist. She felt compelled to comment with a devious smirk, "Why did you pick a hood? Is it because you're a shady guy?"

Malachi glared at her through the mirror. He retorted, "Hoods happen to be cool. Way cooler than cloths that latch onto your waist."

She snorted and defended her choice. "Hey, this has multiple purposes! Wash cloth, symbol, fireteam color, graceful mark, weapon, and a good distraction when needed."

" _No one's_ going to be looking at that cloth as a distraction." He checked Alaura out through the reflection and made sure she noticed. He grinned widely and winked at her.

Alaura threw a pile of rejected clothes at him before turning to Tanis. He had been quiet for a little while and she wanted to make sure he was okay. She commented on his choice of personalized clothing, "I like your coat, Tanis."

Tanis nodded in acknowledgement and showed it off. I fit a little snug around his armor, but he could always find better armor. His blue eyes looked down at his coat in admiration. "Thanks. For some reason, it called out to me, as if I've wanted one for so long." He paused for a long time. Tanis wanted to say something else right after, but it didn't feel right. He had second thoughts and contemplated whether to say it. Minutes passed and the team had finally settled on their beds before he questioned, "Do you two remember your pasts?"

Malachi glanced over at Alaura for a split second and hesitated. He tried to play it off by running his hands through his hair in thought. He didn't want to seem too quick on the response. He answered truthfully, but vaguely, "It's a bit hazy most of the time."

Alaura laughed and responded quickly, "Might be because of the late nights at the bar, Dean Winchester." She internally laughed at her own reference and faced Tanis. Her smirk fell. As much as she wanted to tell him what happened, she couldn't. It would drive him insane. For all she knew, he'd run off and never be found again. Alaura concluded her response, "Your past doesn't really matter, Tanis. None of ours does. What matters is what's happening now."

Tanis waited for a moment. He blinked a few times in wonder. Feelings of doubt washed over him. Not doubt for his teammates, but doubt for himself. If he couldn’t remember anything about himself, what good was he to the team? "I just find it so odd that I can't remember anything."

Malachi stretched on his bed and leaned against the wall. He watched as Tanis grew quiet and wondered how he felt. Without expressions, it was difficult to tell what he was going on inside that metal head of his. Malachi elaborated in the best way he could, "Have you ever thought that it's because you didn't want to remember it? A lot of…Exos go through memory wipes from time-to-time. It's probably better that way. Plus, not remembering helps you focus. We need you here, buddy."

Tanis nodded slowly and hesitated, "Okay…buddy."

The three guardians laid down in bed and watched the ceiling for a while. Sometimes someone would speak up and the others would answer. Most of the time, it was just silence that reigned over the warm, half empty room. The ghosts sat on the bed side tables next to their respective guardians. The little robots watched and tried to comprehend what was going on inside their guardians' minds. Malachi and Alaura got lost in their thoughts before sleep finally took over. Tanis quietly talked with Dinklebot the rest of the night.


	16. The Council

The room had fallen silent for a while. Tanis ran out of topics to talk to Dinklebot about and closed his eyes to relax. He couldn't fall asleep, well, because Exos didn't need sleep. From a human's perspective, that seemed like a good thing. More can be done with those eight hours instead of sleeping. To Tanis, it was never ending boredom. The hours seemed to drag on, and finding things to talk about kept getting more difficult. He ended up giving up, but none of them would fall asleep. Tanis and the ghosts were doomed to have patience.

Alaura woke up a few hours later, but instead of rolling over to face her teammates, she stayed facing the wall. She ran her fingers over Kai's dog tags and linked the chain around her fingers. Her blue eyes focused on the engraving, yet her mind wandered a bit. She should've known better. The battlefield was insane, but with their positions, it made for horrible tactics. She should've surveyed better. Gave more orders. Instead, she worried about her team's health. She was distracted.

Alaura would carry this guilt to her grave.

She shook herself out of her thoughts after a while and sat up in bed. She rustled her short, knotted dark hair and set her bare feet onto the cold wooden floor. A chill ran up her spine, causing goose bumps to form on her arms. She put Kai's dog tags around her neck and tucked them into her shirt.

Tanis opened his glowing blue eyes and his eyelids clicked against each other as he blinked. He glimpsed at Malachi, only to find him still sound asleep curled up into the fetal position. His eyes panned over to where Alaura's bed was, only to find her fully dressed and putting on her thigh holster. _Finally, someone is awake._ He thought gleefully for a moment, until realization hit him. He had to talk to her about the events that transpired the day before. "Alaura?"

Alaura's eyes stayed glued to her gun. "Yes, Tanis?" She reloaded her pistol and clicked the clip in place. She set the gun in her holster, and then started checking her other guns' magazines.

Tanis sat up in his bed and made sure not to raise his voice, in fear he would disturb Malachi. He set his hands on the ends of the new coat he wore and played with the fabric. "Are you all right?"

 _No. I won't be all right for a while._ She thought bitterly. She forced herself not to grimace and answered simply, "I'll be fine."

"You did _not_ look fine yesterday." He left his jaw hanging for a moment before closing it. He looked away and leaned his back against the wall to prop himself up. Alaura stayed silent and chose not to answer. _There must be something she'd answer to._ Probing her about yesterday's events clearly wasn't working. Tanis added quietly, "You also talked in your sleep."

Alaura stopped what she was doing to peer at Tanis. Her interest peaked. "What did I say?"

Tanis hesitated. Would this take her mind off of her fallen team, or make things worse? He had already spoken up about it. There was no going back now. "You were talking about how the Light was calling you to a place between the Light and the Dark. Something about you having to do your duty…or similar to it. It was a lot of gibberish."

Alaura's eyebrows pinched together in confusion. She moved her lips to say something, but became stumped. _What could that mean?_ She pondered for a moment, until she noticed how long she was taking to answer. "That's…worrisome."

"Yeah. You don't sound like you're…" Tanis searched for the right words to say. One wrong word can make it seem like he's accusing her of being insane. Hurting her more was not on Tanis' agenda. He tapped his finger on his chin as he found the words, "…all right."

"I'm okay."

Tanis couldn't help but to point out rather bluntly, "You just went through something traumatic, Alaura."

Alaura big the inside of her cheek as the flashes of her dead teammates crossed her mind. She inhaled deeply to keep her cool. Crying in front of her new team again was _not_ an option. She wanted to believe she had more dignity than that. Alaura stood up straighter and averted her eyes. She avoided the topic completely, "Why don't we talk about something else, Tanis?"

Tanis stared at her for a long moment. He didn't know how to answer. What swirled around his mind were thoughts of himself. Who he was. Who he could've been. How he was created. Where. When. The questions were endless. The odd sensation of furrowing his brow swept over him, causing him to become confused. His brow couldn't move at all, but he could feel it. _How? Why is this happening to me?_ Maybe some wires came loose in his head. He made a mental note for Dinklebot to check his vitals later. Tanis stumbled over his words, "I want to learn more about myself. About the Traveler. The Light. Everything."

Alaura's gaze softened. Tanis wasn't going to let it go. He was so adamant on finding these answers that he didn't stop to think about if he should. The effects could be horrendous. Alaura couldn't imagine what that would do to an Exo's mind. "You can when we have free time. We can help if you want us to."

"Thanks, but…" Something inside of him whispered in his mind. _You can do this alone. Like you used to do everything alone. If anyone helps, it's just out of pity._ Doubt? His self-conscious? Memories? Tanis couldn't tell what spoke up, but it didn't sit right with him. Tanis hesitated before continuing, "…I can do this on my own."

Alaura walked over to him and put a hand on his shoulder gently. She smiled softly and reassured him, "We're here for you if you need us."

Tanis nodded. "Thank you."

Alaura left the room, leaving Tanis to his own ponderings. He waited silently until Malachi woke up. He greeted him and tried to make conversation, but Malachi only gave out one word answers. When Tanis asked him if he was okay, the Exo was met with silence. Tanis received the message he was putting out and stopped talking. He played with simulations in his mind as Malachi got dressed.

Malachi fought with himself on the inside. He wanted to talk to Tanis. He wanted to help the kid. Yet the dreams he had during the night kept him from doing so. Memories of his shady past. Memories of the aspirations he used to have. Memories of _her_. He promised himself he would try to be a contributing member to the team, but these feelings of despair and loss coaxed him out of it a bit. He nodded to Tanis once he was ready, and both of them walked around the base to find Alaura.

Tanis heard frustrated clicking noises rising from one of the rooms. He motioned to Malachi before walking in. Both of them stopped short once they saw Alaura messing with a huge console in frustration. Tanis cocked his head and questioned, "What are you doing?"

"Looking for…" Alaura struggled with her task. She had no clue how to use the damn thing, and that only made her more frustrated. She bit her lip for a second before finishing her sentence, "…how to contact another base or someone up the chain of command…" She hit a few more buttons until she heard a ringing sound echo throughout the room.

A baby blue hologram flickered into view from the round table in the center. A male sitting at a desk showed up and he looked at all three guardians with a smile. "This is the Intergalactic Empire's head office, how may I help you today?"

Alaura's mouth hung open for a second at a loss for words. She didn't want to sound insane and have the guy hang up, but lying wasn't the route to go. The truth was probably her best shot to talking to someone high up on the chain. She set her hand on the edge of the round table and stated quietly at first, but then gradually raised her voice, "This base…This base got attacked by aliens yesterday. I need to talk to someone in charge, please."

The male receptionist shook his head in dismay. "Ma'am, I can't just put you throu-"

Alaura yelled without a second thought, "Soldiers _died_ here because of _aliens_ , and you are not going to put me through to someone in charge? Are you fucking kidding me?"

The hologram disappeared and the line went dead. Alaura looked out into the empty space, confused and lost. Someone had to care. The galaxy was about to be attacked! How could they not…

The hologram came back on, and this time, three unsatisfied people popped up. Two males, one female. All of them had stern expressions and bags under their eyes. Their uniforms were polished to perfection. Even the way they stood, held up high and confident, screamed the word _politician_. Their names hung under their respective images. One of the older men, Governor Mihn, spoke up, "You've interrupted our meeting. This better be good."

Malachi wanted to scoff out loud. _Real government hospitality right there._

Alaura started to explain, "This base got attacked yesterday by a-"

The younger male, Governor Wicco, interrupted her, "We know."

"News travels fast around here," Governor Rosaline added.

Mihn nearly laughed, "Why do you think we let this call go through? This base is critical to our operations."

Tanis stepped forward and made sure Malachi followed. They stood together as a team, side-by-side. Tanis questioned, "What can we do to help?"

Rosaline didn't hesitate, "Sit tight and keep us updated on anything you see."

Wicco seemed to soften around his fellow governors' hostility. He lowered his voice, "Don't leave that base. We will handle the rest of the chaos."

Alaura shook her head in refusal. There was no way she could agree to that. The restlessness alone would kill her. "Your soldiers would not have made it out successfully without us. I believe we handled the situation well. We can handle anything else that attacks."

Mihn scoffed and crossed his arms. "I hardly see that as a success. Hundreds died. That was so unprofessionally handled by citizens with mediocre fighting skills."

Alaura clenched her hand into a fist in an attempt to keep her anger at bay. The disrespect alone crawled under her skin and made her blood boil. She informed him, "Sir, I was in a fireteam a long time ago. They were a damn fine team that helped win this battle. A little respect goes a long way."

Mihn's expression didn't change. He almost seemed unfazed by the comment. "With that smart mouth, I'm not surprised you never made the new system."

Rosaline used the information given and observed Alaura. She tilted her head slightly and pursed her lips. "You're the only one that made it out on that whole team? That doesn't cry out suspicion at all."

Alaura stood up straighter and set her hands to her sides. Her blue eyes glanced down at the ground, but quickly snapped back up at them. She answered with a detection of sadness in her tone, "We were surrounded, Ma'am. Here you are accusing me of abandoning my team, but I'm the one that's going to have the memory of their deaths imprinted into my brain. Say all you want. I'm not here for your approval."

The governors' eyes widened for a moment in shock. Silence hung in the air until Wicco cleared his throat. "You three are staying out of this. We don't need another mistake on our hands."

Malachi retaliated without hesitation, "To hell, we're not staying out of this."

All three guardians glanced at each other. A nod from each of them indicated a mutual agreement. Saying the truth might get them somewhere. If not, at least they tried. Tanis reported with great confidence, "We've seen the future. What it holds…it's not a happy ending for us. Now, we're here. We know what's going to happen and we're the only ones that can stop it."

"Whether you like it or not, we're here to help," Alaura declared. She held her head up high and waited for a response. Even if the guardians were denied, there was no way they were staying out of this. _Semper Fi._

Mihn thought about it and knit his eyebrows together. He spit back, "Do you know how insane that sounds? We don't have time traveling technology."

"That's because it's not yours." Malachi was glad the technology was owned by the Vex. Imagine the destruction and chaos there would be if humans had free access to it? Humanity would go extinct faster than they could save it.

Wicco's eyes narrowed and he spoke slowly, "Then whose is it?"

Tanis replied, "The Vex. They can travel through time."

Rosaline took her turn for the interrogation, "How do you know all of this?"

Alaura glanced between her two teammates. They were all she had left. Her new fireteam. The new Three Musketeers. Funnily enough, the Guardians of the Galaxy. The moment they were graced with powers, they became capable defenders to ward off The Darkness. She proudly stated, "The Traveler sent us here. The Traveler _and_ humanity will cease to exist if we don't stop The Darkness."

Mihn laughed out loud and wiped a fake tear away. "You don't expect us to believe this."

Malachi nodded and confirmed what his teammate said. His gaze didn't tear away from the hologram. "We do. You have to."

A sound clinked behind the trio and someone entered the room. An Exo draped in a torn, brown hood stepped forward. His yellow eyes watched everyone closely. His hand twitched and remained close to his gun's holster. The Exo's face was round and a steel gray. He spoke up, "I believe them." The trio whipped around to see who it was. All eyes immediately fell on him.

Wicco scoffed at the Exo's sudden appearance. He raised his tone in a rather commanding voice, "Echo IX, this is not the ti-"

Echo IX jutted into his sentence with his own confirmations, "I've been following them. I've seen what they can do." Once he saw the guardians weren't hostile, he moved his hand away from the holster. He admitted out loud, "It's unlike anything I've ever seen."

The three guardians watched as the governors talked with the Exo. Their heads moved back and forth between each speaker. "So you've blatantly ignored your mission and followed them?" Rosaline accused.

Echo IX replied instantly, "No ma'am. I got your intel. Just hear me out. This was something too good to pass up." He pointed at the guardians and declared in an astonished tone, "They have little bots that fly. The bots emanate Light as if they were born from The Traveler itself."

Wicco took that into consideration. He put his hand to his chin and stroked it. "Now that The Traveler is back, it does give us the advantage…"

Mihn turned to Wicco angrily. "You're not really falling for this bullshit, are you?"

"What do you want us to do? If they're right, then we need their help," Wicco retaliated quickly. He looked his fellow governor in the eye and waited for him to snap back, but it never came.

Rosaline mulled it over. "And if they're wrong?"

"Then we'll live. I call that a victory either way." Wicco turned back to the guardians and nodded in approval. They gained his vote of confidence.

Mihn rolled his eyes and his lips formed a straight line. Once Wicco had his mind set on something, he would never change it. This was going to be a battle. "We have to talk it over with the rest of the council."

Wicco smiled at them. "For now, what shall we call your team?"

Malachi turned to Tanis, who sent him a reassuring nod. They didn't need to talk it over. Those two knew the answer already. "Fireteam Riptide," he answered. Alaura looked at him in surprise, eyebrows lifted and eyes wide. He shot her a half grin. This was their tribute to Alaura's fallen team.

"Report back tomorrow, Fireteam Riptide." Wicco glanced at his two bitter governors and agreed. He knew the old fireteam wouldn't need the name anymore. If any of them were alive, they'd be a part of this conference call.

"Yes sir," Alaura saluted them. She took a deep breath when the call ended and set her hands on the table. She hung her head and underwent a moment of silence for her fallen team. It was official. She was back on the team with new recruits. Something she never thought would happen.

Tanis turned to Echo IX to examine him. He blinked a few times. He wanted to smile at the familiarity between them. He reached out to the Exo in wonder. "You're…like me."

Echo IX nodded, but retaliated with a question, "How did an exo get mixed up in all of this?"

Tanis appeared at a loss for words. His mouth hung open and nothing came out. Malachi stepped in to cover for him and responded calmly, "He's our friend. We got into some trouble and now we're here."

Alaura fixed her posture and turned around. She stared the robot right in the eye and replied, "That's all you need to know."

Tanis finally found words to say, "Who are you?"

Malachi folded his arms across his chest. He added, "And why the hell have you been watching us?"

Echo IX stayed silent. He mulled the situation over in his mind and decided it would be best to tell them. There was a good chance he'd never see them again, so why not? "I'm a mercenary hired by the government to do odd jobs. Tie up loose ends. I was coming back to the base to report my findings…then I saw the chaos. I watched the battle from afar." He wasn't going to tell them about the memory wipes. The horrors he'd seen. The destruction he's caused. It was all too much for him to talk about. That's why he had to have nine memory wipes, but even then he remembered the atrocities eventually. His name reflected how many memory wipes he had gone through. That's how all Exos were.

Alaura snapped at hearing those words, "And you didn't help? Do you know how many lives that could've saved?" She clenched her fist and stepped forward. Malachi and Tanis quickly put one hand on her shoulders, reeling her back to them. They kept their hands there to hold her back just in case. Alaura stepped back and scowled at Echo IX.

"I was in shock. Aliens? Come on. I thought Exos were the only different race around here. It was…a lot to take in." Echo IX explained. He shrugged and looked between all of them, "Look, you don't have to trust me. I could care less. I did my job. I did you three a favor. I think we should call it a day."

Malachi furrowed his brow. _Who does this guy think he is?_ He could understand being in shock was a possibility, but did he really not care enough to come help? Malachi used to be a merc and he would've jumped into the fight if he were in Echo's position. He didn't need to get paid to be part of something great. Hell, it would've made a fine story to tell at the bar. He narrowed his eyes at Echo. "It's nine in the morning."

Echo scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Did I stutter?"

Tanis started talking, "You don't have to be-"

The base's early warning system triggered. The room's white lights powered off and a flashing red light started. Sirens rang throughout the base's speakers, causing the guardians to cover their ears at the sudden noise.


	17. The Collapse

The guardians and Echo IX ran outside of the base to avoid the early warning system's screeching. Tanis and Echo IX blinked rapidly in an attempt to distract themselves from their disoriented receptors. Putting any pressure on their heads would be a fruitless attempt. Pressure on metal wouldn't do anything but harm them.

Alaura and Malachi grimaced and steadied themselves against the building. Alaura rubbed her temples and tried to ignore the ringing in her ears. Malachi hummed to himself, eyes closed as he leaned against the wall. He hummed louder gradually until he could hear himself overshadow the ringing noise. When things turned awry, humming helped the most to gain his attention. That's how _she_ used to calm Malachi down from time-to-time.

Tanis nearly yelled out above the ringing noise, "Why is the alarm sounding off?"

Echo IX jerked backwards a bit at his loud voice and steadied himself. He peered at the others for an answer, but no one came forward. He wasn't going to answer something he knew nothing about. Echo glanced up into the sky, a nervous shock running through his system. "Where's The Traveler?" He talked as loud as Tanis did.

Alaura winced and called them out, "Guys, lower your voices, please." She stopped rubbing her temples and snapped back to reality. She pushed her pain aside, and checked to see if Echo was bluffing.

No.

_The Traveler's gone._ Alaura walked out into the dirt to get a better view of the sky. Maybe the planet's rotation had something to do with it. _No. Still not here._ She narrowed her eyes after almost accidentally glancing at the sun and focused on her team. "You think The Traveler has something to do with it?"

Three little ghosts came outside to join the party. Macey bobbed in front of the other two, without a care in the world. Jarvis scanned the perimeter once he was outside, but nothing showed up on his radar. Dinklebot headed straight towards Tanis and immediately questioned, "Is everyone okay?" Tanis simply nodded. Dinklebot's white shell twirled and his eye moved back and forth between the two Exos. He replied, "We thought you sounded off the alarm."

Macey's projector lit up instantly against the wall of the building. "Incoming transmission from the military." The text didn't move at all for more than thirty seconds. Macey shook her blue shell, blinked a few times, and tried to comprehend the hasty message the base received. She had linked herself to the base's equipment the other day, so getting this transmission was no problem. "Enemies are making their way to Earth. Military transmissions are hectic right now. They're requesting immediate backup."

Malachi's humming ceased. He opened his brown eyes and asked, "Enemies…plural? Or an army of one alien type?"

Macey cleared the text on the projector. She scanned over the most recent transmissions. "Plural. Vex and Hive fighting for dominance."

Jarvis floated next to Alaura, his black shell bobbing up and down in the air. His British accent coasted through the air, "They must have passed Mars, knowing you three would resist once more."

Dinklebot agreed. "The Traveler must've caught an early transmission and left before the alarm went off."

"Get three jump ships into the air while we grab our stuff," Alaura ordered the ghosts. They all bobbed as if they nodded in agreement, and flew off to the hanger. She motioned for her team to go back inside.

Echo IX spoke up, "What about me?"

Tanis stopped walking and turned to him. "You're coming with us. You have to fight." If Tanis' eyes could emanate desperation, they would. He's seen the atrocities of a battle with _trained soldiers_. Now, they were heading to Earth, most likely in the middle of a populated city. He didn't want to think about how many casualties there would be.

Echo IX remained silent for a few seconds, mulling the idea over. He vouched for them, sure. Did them a favor. Fighting aliens, though? That's something he wasn't getting paid to do. He moved his mouth to speak, but stopped short. _Exo lives are on the line here. Hundreds and thousands of Exos live on Earth._ "Fine. I'll do it for the Exos."

Alaura balled her hand into a fist and furrowed her brow in anger. She couldn't turn around to face him. If she did, she would've socked him right in his goddamn mouth. "What about for the human lives on Earth?"

Echo IX held back a laugh. Instead, he snorted, "You have _no_ idea what humans have put Exos through. I'm doing this for _my_ kind. _Not_ yours." With that, he walked away to his jump ship parked in the hanger.

Alaura grit her teeth and went inside bitterly. Tanis and Malachi glanced at each other nervously before following her to retrieve their belongings. Once they got everything, they rushed to their new jump ships and took off towards the stars.

 

The ghosts teleported the guardians from their ships onto Earth's surface.

Chaos reigned.

Golden Age France faired well before the invasion. Tall skyscrapers of all shapes as far as the eye could see, large ports, hangars for jump ships, and all the while still maintaining a lot of greenery. The Pyrenees mountains still stood in the back of the city, allowing a sense of familiarity to wash over the _out of time_ human guardians. But now…now the city was composed of blood, death, and destruction. Pained cries emanated in the streets, accompanied by hard footsteps hitting the pavement. People ran as fast as they could away from the alien species, tugging along children, even if they weren't theirs. Smoke rose from the top of fiery buildings and fire spread like wildfire. Military personnel and the police force were out and about, protecting the citizens until they ran out of ammo.

Hive and Vex clashed in the middle of the streets. Some warriors stood back and shot from a distance, while others went toe-to-toe in a death match. Sparks of blue and red gunfire launched at the opposite sides, some hitting their targets, others missing. Screeches and wails occurred from both sides. The fireteam couldn't tell if they were from anguish, or war cries.

The guardians inhaled deeply in an attempt to compose themselves. All they had to do was make sure the two sides didn't advance on the city as a whole. Alaura took hold of her automatic rifle and gestured ahead of her. Jarvis connected to comms through her helmet, allowing Alaura to speak to the other two guardians, "We're setting up shop over there. We're going _around_ the enemies to ensure our safety. Got it?"

The other two agreed and followed her to the area. They sprinted across the battleground, raising no suspicion whatsoever. It wasn't until Malachi broke formation towards the end and pulled his new machine gun off of his back. "Let's see what this baby can do." He held the bottom of the heavy gun with one hand, the other on the trigger. He fired it, rapidly dropping bullet casings to the floor. Bullets flew through the air towards the back of the Vex. Some bullets missed, and made it farther to the front soldiers of the Hive.

Alaura made it to the original destination with Tanis, and she quickly jerked back when she heard the machine gun going off. She snapped, "Malachi, don't break formation!"

Malachi sprayed as many bullets as he could across the field. Vex and Hive fell and crumbled onto the ground. That's when both sides turned on the guardian. Malachi's brown eyes widened.

Small blue text scrawled over the side of his helmet from Macey, "This wasn't your brightest idea."

He took that verbal hit. He wasn't going to give a snarky remark to his ghost, who had been nothing but kind to him. Plus, she was little and adorable. Not that he would admit that out loud, of course. Malachi's machine gun spurted nothing out, and clicked when he pulled the trigger. _Empty._ He tossed the machine gun onto his back. He threw his hand out, launching a trip mine from thin air towards the enemies. The lasers at the top lit up, and waited for unsuspecting enemies to trigger it to explode. It gave him enough time to scramble back to his team. "I had it handled."

Alaura snorted as she fired at the wave of aliens, "Is that what you call it?"

Tanis aimed at the little white forms on the Vex's stomachs and fired his scout rifle. He stayed focused in on the scope as he called out, "I think he did well."

Malachi shot a look of triumph at Alaura, even though she couldn't see. He appreciated Tanis backing him up. "Thank you, Tanis."

Alaura extended her arm out to uppercut an acolyte that got too close. _That's how a team gets killed._ She watched the enemies move closer. Chaos still reigned behind them, but was slowly dying down as the people managed to escape farther into the city. Some aliens had teleported behind them and chased after the citizens. Alaura tried to remain focused. "Tanis, on your left!" She threw out her hand, and without thinking, launched a flash grenade out of thin air.

The enemies were blinded by it, but Tanis had looked directly into it too. He stumbled backwards, dropped his gun, and put his hands to his eyes. He cried out, "I can't see!" Tanis spun around, trying to find the enemies so he could melee them.  

"Sorry! I didn't know!" She fired her fusion rifle at the enemies, taking two out at a time. Malachi snickered about her grenade failure. "If I hear a word about this, consider yourself next," she threatened him. Malachi stifled another laugh and continued on shooting the enemies.

Soon, Fireteam Riptide was in sync.

All three of them were mowing down enemies. The more they came, the more bullets were wasted. The heavy smell of sulfur and burning objects hung in the air. Sweat formed on Alaura's and Malachi's faces. Bullet casings hit the ground faster than they could be counted. With each reload, the team called it out so the others knew to protect them.

Tanis threw his hand out at one of the enemies, and quickly brought it back to his chest in a fist. His hand glowed purple as the minotaur's energy was ripped from him and he vanished. Tanis used that gained energy and threw out a vortex grenade. The grenade sucked in any surrounding enemies and pulled them towards the center, each moment damaging them more than the last.

Malachi got up close and personal with a few acolytes. He took out his knife with a flip trick, and swiped it across one of the acolyte's heads. It screeched and shielded its bleeding eyes. Malachi kicked it, launching it back into its other friends. All the acolytes fell and struggled to get up. He tossed a trip mine at them, and when it sensed movement, it blew up right in the middle of the group. Malachi grinned to himself and listened to the others' breathing over comms. Ragged. Heavy. They were doing a lot of work, but no one had said anything in the past few minutes.

Alaura noticed a big grouping of Hive and Vex towards the middle of the street. She pulled the rocket launcher off of her back, and set the back of it on her shoulder for support. She aimed down the sight and licked her dry lips before firing the shot. The missile headed straight towards the middle of the group, and upon explosion, the missile broke into many little explosive balls. The little explosives bounced around until it hit the targets, exploding on impact.

Malachi glimpsed upwards towards the sky. A battle had formed between Hive ships and Intergalactic Military ships. Fire and smoke reigned in the sky as blaster shots were aimed at each side. One Hive ship dwindled down and caught on fire as it fell out of the sky. Malachi called out, "Look out!"

The three guardians rushed to cover as the ship crashed into the building next to them. The ship scraped downwards, causing glass to rain from the sky as it shattered. When it couldn't fall anymore, the ship teeter-tottered in the window of a high floor until it came crashing down onto the Earth and onto some Vex. The team was shaken out of their focus and watched as the spot they once were in was crushed under the weight of the heavy ship.

Tanis tugged the edge of his coat to let the glass on him fall to the ground. He took a moment to calm his senses and actually think. "Where's Echo IX?"

Alaura grit her teeth in annoyance at the mention of his name. The Exo. The merc on standby. The guy who watched her team die. She wouldn't forgive him for not stepping in at the battle on Mars. Including him in that battle could've meant her team's survival. "It doesn't matter. We have to focus."

Tanis didn't take that as an answer. They had to find him. Surely, he would help now. "He said he would come fight. You think he deserted us?"

Malachi disagreed, "Not his style."

Tanis had a sense of confusion in his tone, "How would you know that?"

"I can analyze people. It's a talent." Malachi pushed his hood down against his shoulders. The hood certainly shielded him from the sunlight, which allowed his armor to remain cooler. That helped immensely.

"You have talent? I'm surprised!" Alaura stifled a laugh and smiled widely. She couldn't resist the opportunity to poke fun at him. She fired a few shots of her auto rifle at oncoming enemies.

Malachi scoffed, "Don't start something you won't want to finish, Power Fists." He threw a trip mine down a little ways on his vulnerable side and turned at the enemies to shoot. He stopped for a second, and put his gun to his side. "Well, speak of the devil."

Echo IX marched in from the other side of the battlefield, firing his gun any chance he got. He lead a large group of Exos, who came in guns blazing. Exos of all different sizes and colors fought in the onslaught of the battlefield. Tanis stared at them in awe, and lost track of the battle in front of him.

Alaura was about to say something until she noticed civilians taking off in their jumpships. Dozens flew into the sky, but were caught in the crossfire between the aerial battle. She started sprinting across the battlefield, punching any enemy that got in her way until her fist ached. She dodged shots and slid to cover when available. "Jarvis, get the ship into the air."

Tanis broke his gaze with the Exos and yelled out, "What are you doing?"

Malachi watched Alaura in horror. If she were to die, the team would have no direction. She was their undeclared tactician. She knew more about fighting than both him and Tanis combined. Plus, who else would he bug when the time was right? "You can't leave us here! You know battle tactics more than we do!"

Alaura's breath staggered as she ran towards her jumpship. She coughed and nearly tripped on some rubble. "These people have no defense! Humanity is on the line. These people need to get somewhere safe, and I have to see to that."

Malachi started forging ahead. "I'll go instead. Let _me_ handle it." Fear settled in the pit of his stomach. _I can't lose anyone else. Not when I have the power to stop it._ His hands ignited in flames and the golden gun appeared. He used each shot wisely as he made his way towards the other end of the battlefield, Tanis hot on his heels.

Alaura ordered stressfully, " _I got it._ Stay here."

"Alaura!" Malachi's golden gun disappeared. He watched Alaura's jumpship fly away with the other civilian ships into space. He grimaced and kicked the closest Vex near him. "Shit…"

"Dinklebot, is Jarvis still on comms?" Tanis summoned his strength, his whole body glowing purple. He jumped up and threw his arms out at the enemies. Nothing came out, disappointing Tanis instantly. He tried again and again, to no avail. Frustration built up in his system, causing him to try again and angrily cry out. A nova bomb flew from his palm to a big group of enemies. The bomb exploded, killing many enemies in the process. He sighed in slight content, but his wiring still felt a bit tight. It bothered him that he couldn't control his power, yet Malachi seemed to do so with ease.

"He's out of range," Dinklebot reported sadly. They were only prototypes. The Traveler didn't grace them with the gift of long external communications. There was no point. The ghosts were never separated before. They never needed it until now.

Malachi cried out in frustration and threw his knife at a Vex's glowing white stomach. "Are you kidding me?" The stomach burst open, releasing the liquid. The metal body clanked against the ground.

Tanis gazed up, and a whole new horrible feeling settled in the pit of his wiring. "That's the least of our worries. Look," Tanis pointed up towards the sky.

The Traveler slowly moved across the sky, almost like there was an emergency. Except…except it wasn't heading straight towards The Darkness near the asteroid belt. It was heading towards Venus.

The Traveler was fleeing for safety.

A loud siren sounded off, echoing against the city's buildings. Tanis and Malachi kept fighting, but glanced around every other moment to catch onto what was going on. Huge cannons and guns rose from beneath the earth near Warmind Rasputin's bunker. Almost immediately, they fired simultaneously at The Traveler.

The Traveler took the hits willingly as it attempted to escape. Pieces of its bottom fell off and scattered across the land. More guns fired, and explosives erupted against The Traveler's shell. One final hit caused The Traveler to be immobilized and release a bright, nearly blinding light on impact. The ray of light spread in all directions across the galaxy.

Warmind Rasputin seemed pleased he put in ABHORENT IMPERATIVE earlier as an emergency action. This forced The Traveler to protect humanity if it wanted the chance to survive.

Now, humanity had a chance.

 

Alaura stayed put in her seat, but felt so unnerved. She left her team. Left them there…because she felt she had to do something. She couldn't sit back and watch these people flee from Earth without protection. Now that she was up here, among the stars and using the hyperdrive, she wasn't sure how much she could actually do.

The doubt set in.

Her mind had been so frantic earlier, but now that she had real time to think, she assessed the situation. One ship. Against hundreds of alien fighters. That is…impossible. Her ship couldn't even fire bullets. How could she protect these people? No gun, no real way of using her powers, nothing.

All she could do was guide them to safety.

Alaura inhaled deeply and put her head on straight. She leaned forward in her chair and looked across the dashboard at all of the buttons. They all seemed foreign to her. Different colors, sizes, and none of them had names or any kind of caption underneath them. She gave up and spoke to her ghost, "Jay, get me on comms with the ship up front. They're headed straight for The Darkness."

Jarvis tried to get a line open, but something was wrong. "Communications are blocked."

"By what?"

"The line is in use," he answered simply.

Alaura took her helmet off and tossed it behind her. "Is there any way we can catch up?"

"This ship is going as fast as it can go."

Alaura grimaced. Doubt played on her alert nerves. "Shit…shit…shit!" She cried out. There was nothing she could do. Not until-

The ships jerked out of hyperdrive and halted right before the asteroid belt. The Darkness sat on the other side, but once it saw the ships, it moved towards them.  

Alaura took initiative and looked at her ghost for guidance, "Jarvis, give me a safe path." When she didn't get an answer, she furrowed her brow. "Jarvis?"

"There isn't one." Jarvis gave up and snuggled into her neck, as if it gave him comfort or safety.

The rearview camera on her dash showed a white light coming towards them. The same white light she remembered from that hectic day in the small town. A slight panic jolted through her system. The light didn't harm them when it beamed them up to The Traveler, but she had no idea what effect it would have on the ships.

Light on one side. Darkness on the other.

They were trapped in the middle, with nowhere to go.


	18. The Awoken

The distant sound of metal clanking against each other traveled through Alaura's ears. Her eyebrows twitched, and she sucked in a short breath. A shocking pain erupted in her lower rib cage, causing her to groan in response. She shook her head slightly and opened her heavy eyelids.

Darkness. Deep, black darkness spanned out in front of the ship. It wasn't the regular galaxy darkness. This was…this was what it would look like if The Darkness succeeded. Nothing but twisted darkness. Alaura peered into the rearview camera screen on the glass. Swirling dark purple storm clouds scoured the area. Thunder roared and caused the ship to shake a bit. Flashes of light sparked within the clouds. A metal graveyard floated around, made from the jumpships that met their demise during the blast. Nothing could be seen far on both sides, not even the stars that were hidden behind everything.

_The place between the Light and the Dark…I did my duty and protected the people, but god…at what cost?_ Alaura thought bitterly. She did not fully understand what cost had been paid just yet.

At least not until Jarvis spoke up. "Alaura? Is that you?"

An unsettling feeling took over as soon as the words registered in her mind. _What does he mean?_ "Of course it's me, Jarvis. What makes you think it-" Her eyes caught a glimpse of herself in the reflection of the glass. Her breath hitched and caught in her throat.

Her eyes…god, her eyes had the fiery red intensity of the sun. They were no longer the bright blue of the ocean. Her light skin now held the shade of sky blue, accompanied by a soft lavender hue of her lips. Flecks of white created a triangle formation from under her eyes up to the bridge of her nose, almost like a tribal tattoo. Alaura's once raven black hair and eyebrows now shined white as snow.

"What the…What happened to me?" She let out a short, breathless screech before falling to panic.

Jarvis lifted himself from on top of the console into the air. He flipped his shell a few times, as if he had a sudden burst of energy. "Don't panic! This must be…a reaction from what had conspired between the Light and the Dark."

"What am I?" Alaura tore her gaze away from the glass, mind clouded with fleeting thoughts. Her head began to hurt, and her heart sped up too quick for her to handle. She turned to Jarvis, eyes wide in terror. "Can I be changed back?"

Jarvis read her anxiety levels spike immensely. His blue eye glanced around the ship. He knew she wouldn't like his answer. This wasn't something he could calculate. This was…something utterly unexpected. He stuttered, "I-I don't know."

"I'm a monster! The Hive, the Vex…I'm like them…something created by The Darkness…"

Chances were those races hadn't spawned from The Darkness. Now was not the time to correct her, though. He floated in front of her and looked her in the eye. "No, you aren't, Alaura. You are a guardian of the Light." Jarvis watched as she looked down and closed her eyes for a moment. His voice lowered to a much calmer tone, maybe even in a sincere way, "I'm glad that you're alive."

"But others aren't…" Alaura peered out into the jumpship graveyard that lay just outside behind the ship. "They didn't make it." Her heart stayed the same rate of a speeding car, yet now a whole new anxiety set in. She failed her mission. She didn't save everyone. Who else had she failed to save? What more repercussions came out of her decision? "I was touched by the Darkness…what's going to happen to me?"

All bizarre situations came with uncertainty. This one happened to have too much uncertainty. When the event happened, Jarvis was sure they were going to perish. This outcome left him with more questions than answers, which was something he wasn't used to. "I'm…not sure. I haven't seen anything like this before."

Some of the survivor jumpships crawled slowly towards the biggest ship. It was massive, almost as big as a cruise liner, painted in different shades of purple and gold. She couldn't imagine how any of the survivors felt. Lost, confused…terrified, just as she had been. Alaura took a deep breath in attempt to steady her outrageous heartbeat. _I survived. We survived…It'll be okay._ With that, she set her shaking hands on the ship controls and piloted the ship in their direction.

The docking bay was roomy and well lit with bright lights. Alaura shielded her eyes once she parked the ship in an empty space next to the wall. _Whoever owns this monstrosity of a ship must be important._ Jarvis watched her as she made her way to the door, yet hesitated. She reached out and held her hand in place. A part of her wanted to open it to join the rest of the survivors. The other part of her instilled doubt in her mind. _What if they aren't like you? What if they see you and try something rash?_ More thoughts piled on top of one another, clouding her mind for a few moments until she ceased all of it.

Alaura pulled the door open and was met with a hissing sound. Fresh air entered the chamber, causing her to inhale in delight. The delight was brief, but welcomed, nonetheless. She stepped out onto the dock bay floor, eyes searching for others. When she came up with nothing, she listened for the echoes of voices that bounced off the walls in the distance. Her arms wrapped across her chest out of sheer low self-confidence as she made her way to the populated area. Jarvis stayed back with the jumpship to make as many repairs as he could.

No one turned around when Alaura entered the small room. She stayed behind, leaning against the wall as everyone bickered with one another. Skin colors ranged from light blue, all the way down the spectrum to a dark purple. Hair colors, eye colors, everything else set in the range of the rainbow. She gazed in awe for a second at all of it.

There were roughly fifteen people, mostly adults, but a few children scattered around here and there. An old couple sat in a few chairs on the side, whispering amongst themselves. Words and names were thrown around amongst the adults in the middle of the room. They were scaring the children, who sat on the floor huddled together in a tearful mess.

Alaura furrowed her brow. She hated this. People pinned against each other over something they couldn't control. As much as she wanted to scream, cry, and shout until her body ached all over, she couldn't. These people needed to band together, not fall apart. Alaura didn't quite feel positive at the moment, but these people needed a guiding light. She spoke up, "We're still human. In a way, we're much more. We aren't evil. We are just different like the Exos."

A man scoffed before he turned around, "Yeah, and who's really going to buy into that? They'll take one look at us and run the other way."

Someone else hung their head and mumbled loud enough to be heard. "I don't want to get burned at the stake."

The group spoke up in unison.

"I'm never going back to Earth."

"Yeah! People will never accept us."

"They'll think we're monsters…"

A woman spoke up from the other side of the room. The crowd in the middle dispersed to the sides, allowing her to have the floor. She stood tall and carried herself with grace, her blazing bright blue eyes gazing around at all of the new faces. Her arms and torso were cut up, as if she had been thrust into a pile of glass. Her dark purple clothes were stained in blood, and torn in several places. She spoke up, her voice loud, but gentle in tone. "It is settled. We create a place where we belong. Where we cannot be made fun of."

Someone responded from the side. "Where?"

The woman looked at the person and replied with clarity, "Here. If we can create an intergalactic empire, we can do this. Settle here where no one would want to look. Create a _kingdom_. We can do this together and not fall apart. We have awoken from the repetitive lives we've had. Caught between the Light and the Dark, and we _survived_.

"Damn the others. If they won't accept us, then we won't accept them in return. This place will be for us, and us only. A sanctuary where no one will judge their peers based on…" The woman hesitated. A small smile set on her lips. "…color. Based on what we are." Her eyes held steady on everyone around her. They were scared. Frightened. Panicked.

Lost.

She could lead. She had faith in herself. These people needed guidance, and she could surely give them just that. She held her arms out towards everyone. "Stand up and be proud. We are the _Awoken._ "

The people were hysterical. Most burst out in agreement and clapped, while others took to talking amongst each other. Dismay settled on some faces. The old couple smiled at the woman's small, yet effective speech, as if they were proud of her.

Alaura stepped forward. Her curiosity heightened. This woman was elegant, yet compelling. She spoke to the people with dignity and…and _hope_. Alaura locked eyes with the woman and asked, "What's your name?"

A look of surprise washed over her features. Almost all of the Intergalactic Empire knew her name, and to find someone who didn't seemed so unreal. A high political figure as herself surely had to be known. They taught it in schools all around the galaxy among other present strong leaders. "Mara Sov."

"That speech was truly inspirational, Mara, and there's no one else I'd rather leave in charge. You need to stay here. Band together. You can make it out of this. You can create a _better world_. You need to work together as a _team_." Alaura fought with herself to keep eye contact. She had to remain strong, even though her thoughts turned against her.

A woman declared from the side, almost in outrage, "You're just leaving us here? Unprotected?"

Mara Sov stated calmly, but didn't break eye contact with Alaura, "I have some guards that can protect us. I am also no stranger to combat."

Alaura's face fell. These people needed her, but her team needed her more. "I have a team to get back to. They're counting on me." _Maybe. Or they're dead because I left. Or worse, they left me._ "I have to go fight to save more lives. I'm a guardian of the Light…I can't just abandon my post. My job here is done."

The people remained silent until Mara Sov walked over to Alaura. Then, the whispers started amongst the group. Alaura pulled Mara aside and asked quietly, "You're okay with being in charge, right? I didn't mean to put you on the spot like that."

Mara smiled softly at her consideration. "I led my people back on Earth. This…" She peered down at her hands, which were covered in cuts and bruises. Her icy blue eyes traveled back up to meet Alaura's. She continued, "…is only a small barrier. We can make it out of this."

"Good luck, Mara Sov."

"You're the one who needs the luck, guardian." Mara Sov walked back to the group with her head held high.

After leaving the room, Alaura wandered back into the docks. She tore at herself on the inside as thoughts ravaged her mind. Her self-esteem lowered. Emotions of being lost and confused flashed through her, until they slowly took over. She shook her head in an attempt to clear it, but it didn't work.

She hated leaving those people there, but what else could she do? Humanity was on the line. She wasn't going to bail on everyone to stay here with…her kind. The Awoken. She had a job to do.

Alaura stopped and stared at her reflection in the glass on one of the ships. She was a monster. Her eyes glowed a bright red like fire in a forge. Her hair, white and fair like that of a rabbit. Her skin resembled the paleness of the blue sky on a cloudy day. _I'm not human…I'm different. Awoken._ She sighed in frustration. _How can I go back to my team like…this?_ Different voices in her head started yelling out, reflecting her insecurities.

_They'll never accept you._

_They'll never respect anything like those aliens._

_Your team is better off dead than having you lead._

_You're a monster._

Her eyes tore from her reflection and peered down at the ground. Alaura headed towards her ship to make the trip back to Earth.


	19. Borderline Insanity

_AN: Two chapters worth of stuff right here. Cutting this into two would not have helped the story at all. Hope you enjoy!_

 

The battle had been won.

But the war was long from over.

The battle itself was gruesome. All three sides, Vex, Hive, and humanity's safety net fought for victory. Many soldiers on all sides perished. Buildings exploded. Bullet shells hit the ground. Blood and Vex goo slathered the environment around the bodies. Tanis and Malachi barely hung on, but with Echo IX's help, they sailed to victory.

The Vex stopped advancing after a while. The Hive retreated shortly after. One of their ships crashed into the Earth on the other side of the city, and they began digging into the ground near it to create caves. More than half of the city's population managed to escape alive. There would have been more survivors if Alaura didn't run off, or at least that's what Malachi mulled over.

Echo IX took the remaining Exos to safety once the fight was over. They fought valiantly the entire time, not hesitating even once. For a bunch of robots, they sure knew how to handle guns like professionals, almost as if it were a second nature to them. Echo IX said he'd meet up with the guardians later, but never specified when. Malachi couldn't care less on when that would be. The Exo was another helping hand, but he was someone cold. Distant. Someone Malachi knew all too well because he used to be like that. The similarities were all too great.

Malachi yanked his knife out of a Vex minotaur's eye, brushing off the glass that came with it. He exhaled loudly as his heart rate declined slowly. Sweat dripped off his brow, and he took off his helmet just to wipe it. The strong aroma of gooey liquid, smoke, and blood came over his sense of smell like a tidal wave. Malachi cringed as he put his helmet back on and made his way over dead bodies on his way to Tanis.

Tanis stared up at The Traveler with wonder. The Exo craned his neck back far, yet it didn't pain him. "What do you think happened?" He asked his ghost.

Dinklebot materialized in front of him. "The Traveler has gone silent. I'm not sure what happened."

Tanis finally looked down from the orb in the sky and glanced around at the buildings. _I need more answers._ "Is there somewhere we can learn more about The Traveler?"

"There's a library down this street, but good luck finding things that aren't charred from the blasts."

Malachi rushed over once he heard what they were discussing over comms. He yanked his helmet off quickly, and instantly shielded his eyes from the bright sunlight. "Where are you going?"

Tanis hoisted his scout rifle over his shoulder and dusted some dirt off of his cloak. He took his helmet off and let Dinklebot dematerialize it with ease. "To study more abou-"

Malachi cut him off with a motion of his hand. "We have to wait for Alaura where she can find us." That was a priority. He hated that she left. Hated that she risked her life when Malachi could've done it. He didn't want to lose another person. The pain would be too great for him to handle and the guilt would seep in.

Tanis scoffed, "We could be waiting hours, or even days." All that wasted time sitting around, when he could be learning! Imagine all of the knowledge stored away at the library. Hundreds of years of studying The Traveler, right at his finger tips. Tanis wanted to learn more about himself, and this was a great place to start.

"That doesn't matter. We scavenge what we can, then come back here where the jumpship is." Malachi peered up at the sky and watched some clouds roll by. His gut twisted in worry. "If she isn't back by tomorrow, we're going to go look for her."

"Look for her? We don’t even know where to start." Tanis wanted to grimace, but his features wouldn't allow him to. All he could do was show the frustration through his tone. "So we sit here and do nothing?"

The Hunter's voice bellowed over empty streets, angry that his teammate didn't care. "She could be _dead_ , Tanis. She risked her _life_ for us. The least you can do is make her return easy." He curled his free hand up into a fist. Malachi took this to heart, but he never had before. Not like this. Alaura was the one to care. _Goddamnit. She leaves, and now I'm left to be the one that cares._

The Warlock seemed to read his thoughts completely. He tilted his head slightly and narrowed his eyes as much as he could without blinking. "Since when do you care what happens to us?"

"Since I became part of this team. Maybe you can't read people correctly," Malachi glared at him. _There is some truth to his words. I used to not care._ He had fought with himself a lot over this. Right after Alaura showed how much she cared for Tanis and how she wasn't going to let him die. Then Tanis woke up in his new body and…bam. The nagging started in the back of his mind. That all seemed so long ago.

"I can read you just fine."

Tanis' words broke Malachi's train of thought. He stepped closer to Tanis, and almost accidentally spat in his face in a low tone, "I'm not the one being a selfish prick here."

Tanis rolled his eyes. He glanced over at his ghost for a moment before replying in a snarky way, "Excuse me for trying to enlighten myself."

Malachi chuckled lowly. This guy's sass actually put a smile on the Hunter's face. He licked his lips, and words rolled off his tongue like venom, "It's not that. It's the fact that you don't seem worried about her." Tanis stayed silent. He didn't break eye contact, no matter how much he wanted to look away. Malachi continued, his words hitting his heart like a hammer, "She could be captured by the Hive. She could be getting tortured. Or killed by Vex. Maybe she crashed into something. Quick and painless. Or she drifted off in space until she died…" His breath got caught in his throat before he could finish.

If she died, it would be on him.

Dinklebot chimed into the conversation, "Or she's alive and you're over thinking things."

 _If that's supposed to soothe me, it doesn't._ Malachi closed his eyes and inhaled deeply to hold in all of his snarky replies. His heart ached upon remembering what had happened to…God, he couldn't even say her name, much less think it. "I don't want to lose anyone else…"

Both guardians stood in silence. Alaura was more than their tactician. She had been the glue holding them together the whole time. The one time she leaves, things started falling apart. Tanis…whatever was going on in his head screwed with him. Either he couldn't remember how much he cared, or he just wasn't showing it. Both possibilities bugged the hell out of Malachi. The kid used to be so full of life. Now? It seemed like he was an empty shell yearning for knowledge instead of emotion.

Malachi hoped he got his point across.

 

Jarvis phased Alaura onto Earth's surface from the jumpship. She landed on her feet and stood there for a moment in hesitation. There were so many bodies. So many scorch marks. So much debris. This side of the city was almost unrecognizable. She glanced up at the night sky to see The Traveler still there, gleaming in the moonlight. The stars she touched for a moment seemed to twinkle with glee, but the feeling wasn't reciprocated. Alaura felt uneasy.

_They won't accept you._

_Might even shoot you on sight._

Alaura cried out quietly in pain. Her thoughts wouldn't leave her alone. They clawed through her mind and made sure she noticed. Her heart squeezed and ached from the mental bullying. No matter what she did, it wouldn't stop. She believed the voices too much to have an effect.

Jarvis started talking through communications to get her mind off of it. He gave her directions to where the other ghosts were located. He even tried to tell her a story, but she seemed too fazed to listen.

Soon, they met up with the other two fireteam members. Tanis sat on a piece of debris in silence. Dinklebot talked in his ear about findings in the library. Since Tanis couldn't leave, his ghost went for him. Tanis thought him as a true friend. Knowledge of the Light would soon be his. Malachi stared at the campfire in front of him. His eyes focused on the dancing flames as he became lost in thought. Sweat dripped down his temple as red and orange light flashed across his face like waves.

Tanis was the first to notice Alaura, and stood up immediately. "What happened?" Any information on what conspired could help him figure out what happened to The Traveler. All he knew was it was immobile and not communicating with its ghosts. He wanted to know why. He wanted to know everything from start to finish.

The first thing Malachi did after he broke out of his thoughts was analyze Alaura. Something wasn't right. She had her helmet on, and her lack of movements showed she was too stiff. Too worried, maybe? Frightened? Anxious? He couldn’t tell with the helmet on. She was uncomfortable, he knew that for sure. Otherwise, she wouldn't have the helmet on. Malachi rested his elbows on his knees. "Are you okay?"

Alaura sat down across from Malachi, and totally disregarded Tanis' question. She held herself back from grabbing something nearby and playing with it. Keeping her hands occupied usually helped calm her down. She hesitated, but finally spoke with a quiet voice, "I…I don't really want to talk about it."

Tanis didn't seem to hear what she said. All he could focus on was the aftermath. _What happened?_ Those two words rang through his head like a resounding bell. Alaura was back fine. No painful slashes in her armor, no wounds, no weird movements. He decided to ask again, but more elaborately this time, "We saw the Light erupt when The Traveler was hit. Did it have an effect on your ship?"

The Titan shook her head in response. She fixated on the fire and didn't make any other moves or sounds. Malachi's curiosity deepened. _Is she in a daze? Maybe she's in shock._ "Why don't you take your helmet off? The air is cleaner now that the battle is over." No answer. His teammate was as still as a statue. Jarvis materialized in the air and began talking to the other two ghosts a little ways away. If anyone knew anything, it was Jarvis. "Hey, Geek Squad, if you know something, share it."

Jarvis glanced at Alaura. Saying something could ruin his relationship with his guardian. Not saying anything? That had the potential to tear the team apart. Alaura didn't notice his glance, and concluded with assurance, "That isn't my place."

Tanis wanted to laugh. Whatever happened affected the whole _universe,_ not just Alaura. Keeping it held back seemed almost selfish to him. "Holding back information hurts the team."

A low growl resonated in Alaura's throat. She didn't _want_ them to know. Couldn't they just understand that? "Stop bugging Jarvis."

"Why can they know, but we can't?" Tanis shot back. If she didn't tell him, then he would get Dinklebot to spill the information later. There was no way that he could let this go. Imagine all of the possibilities! The knowledge, the experience…It all fascinated him down to his core.

"They're our ghosts. Why does it matter?" She tore her gaze away from the fire and stared off into nothingness. A voice echoed in the back of her mind. _They're going to reject you._

Malachi watched Alaura. The growl showed anger. _Something did happen, but what could cause her to be like this?_ He answered for Tanis, "We're your _team_. We should be the first people to know things."

Alaura stood up abruptly while one hand clenched into a fist. Her hands glowed an icy blue. She cried out, "Just drop it!" Her voice bounced off of the walls of the city and traveled through the streets in an echo. _There's no need to get angry at them._ The glow faded, along with her anger. She put a hand to her helmet as if she was dragging it down her face. "I'm glad you guys are okay."

At least she could take back her mantle of being the one who cares. But…giving up that emotion completely felt so wrong. Malachi's tone softened in an attempt to ease the growing tension, "We'd be better if we knew _you_ are okay."

"And know what happened." Tanis chimed in, receiving a glare from Malachi.

Alaura ignored the Warlock. She didn't want to say what happened out loud. It only made it more painful. More true. More real than anything she had ever encountered in her life. It was hard enough on her already. "Why do you care, Malachi? You never wanted to be here."

Change in conversation. Smart, but not effective. Malachi was sticking to his guns and seeing this problem through, whether Alaura liked it or not. If he pressed further, she might slip up and spill some information. "I do now. Working in a team isn't a new experience for me." That was the full truth, and he stuck to it. Malachi exhaled deeply, letting his thoughts sink in before he answered her question. "I care because if you aren't in the right state of mind, you shouldn't be fighting."

"I'm _fine_."

Almost simultaneously with Tanis, both of them declared different things. Malachi responded, "Then take off your helmet."

Tanis blurted out, nearly in frustration, "Then tell us what happened."

 _That's enough._ Malachi snapped at his teammate, "Tanis, lay off." He ran his hand through his short wet hair in frustration. This kid wasn't laying off when all the cues were there. Tanis looked down and mumbled something, but didn't dare intervene with the same question again. Malachi took note of Alaura's silence, and took a step closer to her. Maybe he could ease her into getting comfortable. "Exactly. Look, Alaura, if you got injured or something, it doesn't matter to us how you look. You're still you."

A stifled chuckle spouted out passed Alaura's lips. She backed up a bit to clear some distance between her and Malachi and whispered, "You couldn't be more wrong."

That sparked more curiosity between the other two guardians. Tanis lifted his gaze to Alaura, this time in a caring manner. What she said didn't sit right with him. "What?"

"I'm never going to take the helmet off." That's when the bickering ensued. All three guardians spouted words and opinions. Malachi cared too much. Tanis cared too little. A horrible feeling grew in the pit of Alaura's stomach. She yearned to move on and go save the day. She wanted to just forget the event ever happened. How could she do that if they keep questioning? If they keep making her doubt herself more? If they press too far, will they regret it after?

The ghosts noticed the intensity of the moment rising. They looked at each other in worry. Jarvis had to make an executive decision, which could possibly ruin his trust with his guardian. But…what did he have to lose? If he didn't do something, the team would disband. That was against their mission to save humanity. Jarvis dematerialized Alaura's helmet. Once she noticed she was looking at her team with her own eyes, she looked over at her ghost in disbelief. He tried to explain himself, "The chances of the team disbanding skyrocketed. I had to do this to keep the team together. No matter what."

She didn't want to turn and see her team's expressions. Facing expressions of horror would only make it worse. Alaura grit her teeth and forced her words out, "No, you didn't."

The little blue ghost flew in front of Jarvis in defense. Macey projected into the air, "Our job is to secure humanity's survival, while aiding the universe's first guardians. In order to do so, you have to stay together."

Dinklebot added, "Secrets are poisonous to an effective team."

Alaura's face fell from anger to despair. Her secret was out. There was no way they could _unsee_ this. Her red eyes deceived her wishes and glanced at her team's expressions of shock. Her world started to close in on her, and her heart rate sped up. She reached out to grab something to steady herself, but found nothing. "I-I have to go…"

Malachi called out to her as she quickly walked away, "Wait!" He moved towards her slowly once she stopped. The last thing he wanted to do was spook her. "You're still you, Alaura." His words didn't make sense, but they felt right. He didn't know what the hell she turned into, but there's no way it could have altered her personality. And to see her turn her back on her team…it was like she had lost all hope. Malachi had seen a lot of shit in his time, but seeing someone completely fall apart was one of the saddest things he'd ever seen.

Alaura clenched her jaw tightly. _Remember. Anger isn't right. They didn't do anything to you._ The bad voices echoed in the back of her mind, loud enough to cover up the good voice. She winced from the battle in her mind; her voice broke as she finally replied, "I'm a m-monster. Like _them_. Like the things we're trying to kill. I'm a monster touched by The Darkness."

"You came in contact with The Darkness?" Tanis' voice heightened in amazement. He wished he could show it on his face, but settled for his voice. He looked over at Dinklebot in excitement, as if they had a breakthrough. "Tell us everything!"

Memories flashed in her mind. Alaura's chest constricted and made her breathing erratic. She stumbled backwards; the need to run came back to her. "I…c-can't…" She clutched her chest as the fear and agony rushed back to her.

"You need to sit down. Your anxiety levels are spiking." Jarvis floated over to her and tried to calm her down. Alaura followed his suggestion and sat down on a piece of debris. She put her head in her hands and attempted to drown everyone else's voices out until she calmed down. Jarvis turned to Tanis and Malachi and explained, "We tried to catch up to the leading ship to get them on a different course. We stopped near the asteroid belt, where the edge of The Darkness was, and got trapped between it and the Light. When we came to…the whole area changed. I've never seen anything like it."

"That's fascinating. What did it look like? Does this mean The Darkness isn't bad for us?" Tanis ushered for more information. His jaw dropped as he waited in anticipation. Fascinating wasn't a good enough word to express the stimulations going on in his head. His mind buzzed with curiosity and a yearn for knowledge.

Malachi wanted to scoff at his words. _How can he be more concerned with the event than his teammate?_ For a second, he almost let his disbelief be known. _To hell with it. If he's going to act like this towards his own teammate, why should I care about him?_ But something held him back. He wasn't sure what it was. Malachi rubbed his brow for a second, and turned to Alaura. She hadn't moved a muscle since she sat down.

Dinklebot answered adamantly and without hesitation, "It is bad. Look what happened to Alaura." Jarvis bumped into him in an aggressive manner. Dinklebot was being highly inconsiderate for Alaura's feelings, and saying it out loud didn't help. "Hey, we're all thinking it!"

Malachi stood up so fast that he almost made the blood rush to his head. Anger surged through his system as if it were adrenaline. He had enough. Enough of Tanis' lack of concern. Enough with hearing them talk about the event and making Alaura upset. Enough of Dinklebot's input. "You better take that back," he pointed his finger at the little white bot.

Tanis stepped in front of his ghost and tried to make Malachi stand down. He made Dinklebot apologize, even though it was more quiet and mumbled than it should have been. Malachi backed off, but internally questioned Tanis' alliance. He's so quick to defend his ghost, but not feel concern for his teammate.

The Hunter sat down, closer to Alaura this time. She didn't react, or maybe she didn't even notice. Malachi almost set his hand on her shoulder, but refrained from doing so. It always seemed so easy to comfort girls at the bar, but this? This was on a whole new level of fucked up emotions. He scratched the scruff on his chin until he thought of what to say. "Alaura, I know how it feels to be different. To be alone. To be isolated from the world…" He trailed off, and glanced over at Tanis. The Warlock seemed intrigued by his words, but also took them to heart. He felt the same, being an Exo and all. "All of it fucking sucks. You feel like there's no hope and you'll never belong. The truth is, you aren't alone."

Alaura raised her head to look at him with complete red eyes and tear-stained cheeks. Malachi continued, "You have us. As much as we disagree on things and pick on one another, we're a team. We aren't going to leave you because of something that was out of your control." He semi-smiled at his next few words, "Plus you look fucking awesome."

She snorted and one corner of her lips lifted. She sniffled and wiped the tears away. Relief swept over her entire body, causing her to relax in her spot. Malachi smiled fully this time at his achievement. _Never thought it would feel this rewarding to make her smile._ Then, the deep emotions hit him like a tidal wave. His memories flooded back, along with the emotions he listed earlier. "When I was young, my father d-"

Tanis snapped at that word. _Father._ Something in his mind broke, almost as if a gear jumped out of place. He touched his metal fingers to his head. Flashes of memories played in front of his eyes, overshadowing his teammates.

His father. His mother. They were real. They were horrible. They were resentful. They were loveless. Tanis flinched at every little thing, causing him to look as if he were having a seizure. His illness. Being rejected at school. Not being good enough for anyone to date. Being confined to his room. Being able to smile in the mirror. He could see himself, what he used to look like. He remembered things like touch and smell. He remembered the soft blankets on his bed and how the breeze felt against his skin.

Tanis fell to his knees as he held his head and screamed. The flashbacks quickly became terrifying to him. They shifted from his real life, to his Exo life. The murder. The pain. The scrambled parts everywhere. The bullets against his metal plating and how he overheated from all the action. Pictures of a tall tower only made him scream louder.

Alaura's attention snapped to Tanis. Her red eyes widened as she rushed over to him. "What's happening?"

"Tanis? Buddy?" Malachi stood up quickly and observed the situation. Anxiety attack? Panic attack? Horrible flashbacks? He tried to think of what triggered it, but came up with nothing.

"Don't make me kill them…Don't make me kill them…" Tanis shrieked and tore at his temples. Loud metal screeching erupted through the air, causing Alaura and Malachi to jerk back in surprise for a second.

Alaura and Malachi glanced at each other in worry, both wide-eyed like doe caught in headlights. What could he mean by that? _Don't make me kill them?_ Who was that referring to, and why? These questions ran through both of their minds before they asked simultaneously, "What do we do?"

Dinklebot hovered over Tanis and scanned him. What he feared was true. Tanis was reliving every horrible memory he and the Exo have experienced. That could lead to massive brain damage, or worse. "I can give him a memory wipe, but it won't be easy…"

Alaura watched Tanis thrash around on his knees. His screams became overbearing and hard to listen to. She panicked and blurted out, "Just…Just do something!" Anything was better than nothing.

A blue light appeared from Dinklebot's eye and set a scanner net over Tanis. After a few seconds, the scan was complete. Tanis fell limp, his body hunched over in place. His mind had shut down to reboot. Dinklebot thought the situation over, and concluded the word 'father' was the trigger word. He didn't think it would be that easy to fall prey to flashbacks, but all robots were different. Maybe Tanis searched too much into knowledge about The Traveler. It was his origin point, or at least where the plans for Exos came from. The Traveler was the creator to all technology during the Golden Age. Maybe that somehow made it easier for him to be susceptible to this kind of thing.

Malachi knelt down beside Tanis, observing his still structure. "Will it happen again?"

Dinklebot watched Tanis and placed soothing thoughts in his mind as he rebooted. He answered truthfully, "It might. Sometimes the memory wipe doesn't work."

"He must've been having flashbacks. Exos are built for war. Their defense mechanism is to fight," Jarvis admitted to the group.

"How do you know that?" Alaura scrunched her eyebrows together in confusion. This was new. They hadn't told them this before. If she had known that before…would she still have saved Tanis? Did this make him suffer more than just letting his body slowly shut down?

Macey projected along the wall, "I found it while looking at the military base's files. It only took a moment to hack into their system."

The words racked through Malachi's mind. Every government had the capability of sick and twisted things. Using androids for war? It shouldn't have surprised him as much as it did. "Built for war? Do we even want to know what living hell has been behind the scenes during the Golden Age?"

"We don't even know what happened. We never got that information," Dinklebot replied.

Alaura wondered aloud, "What did he mean by 'don’t make me kill them'?"

A silence ensued shortly after. None of the ghosts wanted to answer. It could've been a different number of possibilities, and most of them didn't end up in the guardians' favor. The easiest thing to do was not tell them at all. Malachi set his hand on Alaura's shoulder. He didn't know the answer, but whatever it may be, he would be there to help.

Dinklebot ended up having to give Tanis two more memory wipes that night. There was so much pain. So much agony. The screams echoed in all of their minds. When the group finally managed to calm down and think, they decided to name him Tanis IV. The number would represent how many memory wipes he had.

Tanis had never slept more soundly after that.


	20. The Drop

Even through the helmet, Malachi could smell the foul stench rising from the mass of Hive bodies. It masked the stench of gunfire and gasoline that circulated the area. The Hive ran slightly uphill towards them, launching a full scale attack. Military guns that were mounted on the facility at the top of the mountain fired at the tombships that tore through reality. One succeeded in destroying a ship. The other two were knocked out just as quickly by axion bolts. The mixture of the big guns firing and the army cries below disoriented Malachi, but he pushed through.

Burn marks scorched Malachi's armor, yet he hadn't gotten hurt. Macey explained that the Light from The Traveler supplied a temporary shield. Once it was broken, it would take a minute to regenerate, leaving the guardian vulnerable. Malachi cringed as an arc laser collided with his shoulder. He slammed the butt of his hand cannon against an acolyte's eye, causing it to stumble back blindly.

"Reloading," he called out tiredly over communications. Fireteam Riptide had been in this fight for over an hour on Russian soil. They had managed to push back the Vex and make them retreat, but that was mainly from the help of the Hive. The Hive had brought in the big guns, and by big guns, it meant three huge ogres that shot beams out of its one eye. "These are some ugly fuckers."

His teammates snickered in agreement. The ogres were two, to three stories tall, but their backs were hunched, making them seem smaller than they actually were. Their bodies were mainly made of a hard-boned exterior, designed in a sickly white with blue splotches on them. Their jaws were tiny compared to the huge, bulging sac-like substances on its upper face. One ogre leapt first to battle and unleashed a stream of purple light from its 'eye'.

The three guardians sent waves of bullets towards the ogres, aiming directly at their single eyes. Malachi launched a grenade at one, and as it went off, he used his super ability, the golden gun, and obliterated it. The ogre cried out in a deep growl and crumbled into dust.

Alaura took a few hits from enemies behind her. She was about to say something until Malachi turned his attention towards them, allowing her to keep her focus on the ogre in front of her. Unhooking the rocket launcher from her back, she aimed it quickly at the ogre's eye and fired twice. It still hadn't gone down, but at least it was close. The ammo from her sidearm did the trick, sending the ogre back down to the depths of hell it crawled out from.

Purple light emitted from Tanis' hands. He set aside his scout rifle, which did little damage to the ogre. He conjured energy and jumped upwards, launching his hands out and sending nova bombs towards the giant enemy. The bombs went off like bright purple fireworks. The ogre shrieked and attempted to run, but died shortly after. The three guardians took a few short seconds to breathe.

The Russian civilians had made it out of the city. Wherever they may go, the guardians hoped it was somewhere safe. Malachi looked into the sky for a brief moment and looked away, reloading his weapon. He had to do a double take to confirm the weird feeling that formed.

Nothing jarred Malachi more than the sight before him.

One after another, commercial airplanes fell out of the sky. Malachi could imagine the fear. Imagine the panicked screams of passengers in chorus with one another. Imagine the pilots frantically pushing buttons and checking numerous stats, their minds racing with both memories of loved ones and successful outcomes. His jaw locked in place as he watched the planes fall out of sight in the land beyond the mountains.

Alaura yelled orders and tactics through comms, the words going in Malachi's ear and out the other. Tanis registered her words and acted on them, but Malachi fell behind. The Hunter's muscles grew tired, causing him to lose focus. He wasn't a soldier. In one life, he might have been, but he was a gun for hire. Missions never needed this level of commitment or duration. He hadn't worked this hard in so little time in his entire life.

"Malachi, I need you up on that ridge. We need sniper cover," yet another order through comms. Malachi wanted to tell himself he could keep up with the fast pace, but his body told him otherwise. Alaura noticed his lack of response and her eyes flickered towards him. He was a little bit behind the rest of them, chest heaving and reactions slow. She launched a grenade towards the middle of a clustered group of Hive thralls that ran around the corner, causing all of their corpses to go flying. "Malachi, are you okay?"

The Hunter grunted, "I'm fine." He was already going out of his comfort zone to work with a team. If they found out he couldn’t keep up, they'd see him as an anchor. Malachi wanted to be anything but that. The team's jerk, the team's stone-cold player, the team's worst listener, being any of these sounded more pleasing than the team's anchor. Malachi looked over at the ridge above him. The edge of the cliff hung high up, but it's not like that was a problem. That's where his jumping ability came in handy.

Tanis, in all his ambition to find out more about the Traveler's light and push himself farther, discovered a new ability. The ability to jump to higher heights. Tanis could glide slowly to high objects and land with ease. Alaura was able to lift herself into the air at a little faster pace. Malachi had it easy when it came to higher obstacles. He had the ability to double jump very quickly.

Now, it was time to put that ability to good use.

Malachi launched himself off the ground and focused on the Light flowing through his veins. The strength that shook his bones exerted itself on his entire body, pushing himself upwards once more. He reached up towards the hard rocky cliff, but failed to grab onto the ledge. He fell back down onto the ground and nearly crushed his left ankle on impact.

"You sure you're fine? It looks like you're having trouble," Tanis almost laughed. He threw his hand out like a Jedi using force pull, and drained the energy from a nearby acolyte. The new energy reverberated through him, allowing his reactions to be quicker.

A couple of curse words left his mouth out of anger and pain. He clenched his hand tighter onto his hand cannon and prepared to jump again. He stood on a pile of debris for better height. He shot a thrall that headed his way, sending the bullet right through its skull. It crumbled down onto the ground and disappeared into the dust.

"I-" Malachi jumped up and summoned some Light to help him jump again. He managed to land on top of the cliff successfully. "I got it, Master Jedi." He smiled slyly at his reference as he pulled the sniper rifle off of his back. Tanis didn't respond, but Alaura snorted in acknowledgement.

There was cover fire. Knowing that allowed Alaura's muscles to relax slightly. She could focus on what's in front of her, not behind, and still be safe. An empty clip fell out of her automatic rifle, and she reloaded it as quick as she could. Her red eyes flickered up and saw enemies falling down, left and right, without a break. Tanis swayed to her side and neglected the enemies marching on his right. "Tanis, watch your own side, or you'll get overwhelmed."

The Warlock mumbled under his breath and continued to fight. He aimed for Hive warriors on his right and mowed them down with a machine gun. More reinforcements piled in from a little ways away. The tombships kept coming, and that only made Alaura worry. This battle couldn't take too long. They were running out of ammo and energy. The only thing that kept them going was knowing they were helping to save the galaxy.

"You two _really_ don't like following orders…" Alaura trailed off. After being on a fireteam for so long, it was hard getting used to _not_ giving orders. This—fighting in different types of wars—was her way of life. Changing her tactic communications would impact her whole style of fighting altogether. _It's not me that needs to change. It's them. They need to take this seriously._ She was met with silence from her fireteam members. "I'm just trying to keep you two alive."

Jarvis chipped in, even though none of the team members could see him, "It's best to listen to Alaura. She knows what she's doing."

Dinklebot informed Tanis of hostiles on his left. The guardian took care of the problem with ease. Dinklebot was proud of Tanis for how far he had come since they met. From knowing nothing to knowing many things. The passion, the drive, the yearning for knowledge this Exo had astonished the ghost. He spoke up for his guardian, "Tanis is a quick learner on the field. He'll be okay."

There was no point in fighting, even though that's what Alaura wanted to do. Exos might have been built for war, but Alaura wanted to look out for her team. What person in their right mind wouldn't? Dinklebot might have been trying to help, but it wasn't needed.

Enemies scattered on the field. Most headed towards the two fireteam members on the ground. Some stayed back and tried to attack from afar. Malachi thought he was safe. He took a few enemies out and reloaded his sniper rifle. The electronic screen on his viewport highlighted a few enemies with a red square. Macey was trying to warn him of an impending attack. Malachi peered down the sniper's scope to get a better look, only to find out a huge amount of arc bolts from knights headed his way. 

He jumped up from his position and attempted to make a run for it, but the bolts were closer than he thought. In a matter of seconds, the world around him erupted in noise and pain. Most of the bolts missed, but sent shockwaves of electricity on the ground near him. One bolt hit him in the shoulder, destroying his Light shield altogether. Malachi felt a weight lift off of his shoulders, and a sense of worry washed over him. The last two bolts impacted his torso; Malachi shrieked and hit the ground hard.

Alaura snapped to look in his direction, and her body reacted quickly. She ran in his direction without even thinking. Her mind got lost in the memory of watching her old fireteam die. The pain. The suffering. The distant look in their eyes as they passed away. Determination pushed its way into her thoughts. _I'm not going to let that happen again._ Alaura called out as she fired at a few enemies from her hip, "Tanis, c-"

"Cover you. Already on it," Tanis interrupted her. He backed up slowly, but kept his aim on the enemies. He fired mercilessly until his magazine ran out.

"Alaura, the knights are shooting once more. If you're caught in the line of-"

"No!" She cut into Jarvis' sentence as she propelled herself upwards onto the ledge. Her heart pounded at the possibility of failure. Another lost life would be on her hands. She didn't know if she could take another. Alaura threw out her arms in a protective stance in the line of fire, and closed her eyes as she waited for her doom.

Except nothing happened.

 Her eyes opened slowly. The two guardians were encased in a domed shield made of a bright purple substance, similar to the clouds near the Awoken's new home. Light coursed through her fingers and onto the bubble, supplying protection from enemy fire. Alaura chuckled breathlessly in genuine surprise, "I got you." Malachi groaned, bringing her back to the situation at hand. She knelt down next to him, unsure of what to do. It wasn't like they had an evac or a contingency plan. "Where are you hurt?"

Malachi grit his teeth and tried to control his erratic breathing. "Shoulder and abdomen." When the bolts hit him, a burst of electricity erupted from the point of impact. At one point, he swore he couldn't feel his body at all. It had gone numb from the arc bolts. But now he could feel the agonizing pain sweep through his muscles. Blood dripped from his shoulder, but he couldn't tell how big the wound was. Malachi almost laughed at the thought of how he used to think getting shot with a magnum bullet took the cake for pain. Experiencing this was much worse.

Macey materialized next to her wounded guardian. She projected his diagnostics, highlighting his open wounds. None showed internal bleeding, which both of them counted as a blessing. Macey put her comment underneath the diagram, "He's bleeding minimally, but he'll live."

Jarvis spoke up, his words echoing through the Titan's helmet, "His shield should be back up at any moment."

Alaura thanked them for their information and turned back to Malachi. _He'll live. He's fine. Just gotta get through this damn battle so he can rest._ Knowing he was okay diminished her worry. She hadn't failed another person, and was thankful for it. She held out her hand towards him. "Can you get up?"

 _Don't show the pain. Suck it up._ He winced and grunted as he moved. The pain was bearable now that his shield had regenerated, but that didn't stop him from feeling like complete shit. Malachi grabbed her hand, allowing Alaura to help pull him up off the ground. She saved his life. Didn't even hesitate to give up her own for him. "Thanks for having my back."

The Titan gasped in a fake, overdramatic way. "A thank you? Tanis, please tell me you heard this." She grinned widely. A 'thank you' from a person like him showed gratitude, and so far, that was rare.

Tanis' voice crackled over comms, "Loud and clear. The ghosts might even be recording this, so we'll have proof."

A scoff rose from Malachi's throat. He winced as he tried to stand up straight, but slowly got used to it. "You guys think you're _so_ funny."

"It's fun to tease you. Can't blame us for having fun." Alaura shrugged and reloaded her weapon. When that shield went down, she had to be ready.

If it made Alaura have fun, it was worth taking the punches. She'd been so down lately about everything. She couldn't catch a break. Malachi hoped that she at least smiled at his expense.

Wait, what?

 _Malachi, get yourself together, man! You've never been this sympathetic for someone that isn't family._ The thought echoed in his mind. He scrunched his eyebrows together in confusion as beads of sweat dripped down from his brown hair. He shook it off and turned his attention to the bubble they were in. "How did you do this?" He asked as he reached out to touch the dome. It was thin and murky like fog. His hand passed right through it.

"I don't know…" Alaura peered around at her surroundings. More arc bolts from the knights hammered against the dome, but didn't break through. Both her and Malachi flinched when the bolts impacted against it, frightened for their lives for a split second. Nothing happened.

Jarvis listened in on what they had said. He gave his own theorized input, "When we got caught in the blast and you changed into…Awoken, it must've altered you in a super powered way too. You were touched by Darkness itself, so now you can conjure it up in a form of Light that is helpful to you."

 _I guess being Awoken has its perks…_ Alaura thought to herself. As much as she hated being different, this aspect did come in handy. A new ability meant new possibilities. The dome began to flicker, meaning only one thing.

It was dying out.

Alaura grabbed her weapon with a steady hand and exhaled heavily to relieve some stress. There were more enemies that needed to be taken care of. "Ready?"

"Always," Malachi replied, rolling the barrel of his hand cannon into locked position. He found the strength to keep fighting. Letting his team down was not an option.

Both of their attentions shattered when Tanis started yelling out, "They're retreating!"

Alaura's red eyes flickered from the army below to the sky. They were bending down, as if they were kneeling in front of a king, and transported up into the tombships.  This was their chance to thin their numbers. Taking the opportunity to strike was far better than waiting it out. It was a huge risk, but her team would follow her to the depths of Hell. That's what she wanted to believe, at least. She looked at her teammates with resolve and stated confidently, "We have to get reinforcements and go after them. They're already hurt. Let's shoot them down before they heal and recuperate."

Malachi let out a sigh of relief. It was over. _Thank god._ The thought of relaxation and sleep crossed his mind, bringing a smile to his sweaty face. He put the hand cannon in its holster on his hip. "We already won. We pushed them out."

Silence reigned over comms. Tanis discussed a few things in private with Dinklebot for a brief moment, probably bickering on who was right. Those two had been growing closer and closer lately, and Malachi deemed that as a bad thing. Tanis wondered about everything as is, and if he couldn't talk to his own teammates without consulting his ghost first, this was going to be a huge problem.

The communications line crackled back to life. Tanis spoke on his end, "She's right. If we don't do it now, they'll gather their forces and be two times worse. We need to take them out _now_."

Malachi tilted his head back and closed his eyes. "I hate when you two are right."


	21. I'll Meet You There

Fireteam Riptide ran across the battlefield to the hangar, dashing over lost weapons that the Hive army had dropped. Tanis was in the lead, for exhaustion really didn't take a toll on him during this battle. He felt more empowered than anything. Alaura followed close behind, but turned back every now and then to see Malachi struggling to keep up. She slowed down and attempted to help him, but he simply waved her off. She looked at him worriedly, and jogged behind him to be there if he fell.

Soon, Jarvis teleported Alaura up into her dark blue CX20 Spindle Demon ship, and immediately took off after the Hive. Alaura set her now shaking hands on the flight controls. She exhaled steadily, focusing her eyes on the viewport in front of her. Memories of the change she underwent flashed through her mind. Imaginary screaming, panic, and fear overcame her, causing her to softly let go of the wheel.

"-Alaura," Tanis' voice met her ears from over communications. He followed closely next to her ship and peered over into it, hoping he could see her through the glass. He could barely make out a dark figure; the only thing that stood out was the light from Jarvis' eye.

She cleared her throat and tried to keep her hands from shaking. "Yeah?" Her voice sounded stronger than she felt.

"You okay?" Malachi questioned in concern. Macey dematerialized his helmet and he relaxed in his chair. If he had to, he'd take charge of this mission, but Alaura was much more professional than he was. He'd rather stick to the shadows and operate out of the spotlight.

Alaura nodded, but realized they couldn't see her. She confirmed it, "Yeah. I'm good. If we get split up, our rendezvous point is where we had our second encounter with each other." That poor park. Tanis wrecked the crap out of it. Malachi almost shot Alaura. Sweet, sweet memories. It was time to overwrite those memories and create newer, happier ones.

She placed her hands on the controls to familiarize herself with how to pilot the ship. Jarvis was flying right now, but at some point, she wanted to do it herself. The controls seemed less complex than a helicopter, but still complicated enough to leave her stumbling for a moment. Jarvis highlighted the buttons she needed to push and explained it to her.

Macey and Dinklebot did the same. Tanis picked up on it quickly, maneuvering his red NS66 Cloud Errant in the air on his own. Malachi struggled, but considered it easier than the time he had to hijack a private jet. Macey guided the black LRV2 Javelin on a flight path her guardian could follow.

After giving initial thought to what they were doing, Malachi's spirits lifted and a dorky smile spread across his lips. For the first time in a long time, he felt giddy. _I'm living in a Sci-Fi movie. Literally. I make so many references, but now, my life will be a part of them._ "Finally! A space battle. I've been waiting for one."

Tanis clicked a few buttons on the dashboard before asking, "Why is that?"

"I can be Han Solo and kick some ass." He didn't want to sound too proud to admit it, but god, was he excited. If he didn't have a wound on his abdomen, he would be bouncing in his seat.

Alaura snorted before she could stop herself, "As if you'd be Han."

He almost felt offended by her words. "Come on. We're both outlaws, had a partner, and are ruggishly handsome. You have to see the similarities, _princess._ "

Alaura thought for a moment. _He never mentioned a partner before…_ She held her head high at his comparison, and replied wittily, "You're right. Both of you are scruffy-looking nerf herders, and I'm definitely as strong as Leia."

Tanis dodged an enemy ship and shot another down. He shook his head at the conversation. With the matters at hand, he thought they would've taken this incredibly seriously. Malachi laughed, but before he could reply with something snarky, Tanis cut him off, "Less talking, more action, guys."

Some Hive ships appeared to be made of solid bone, while others were made out of some kind of harsh, jagged metal. The shapes were rough, forming coffins that had been way too bent out of shape. The wings extended far enough to make the ship fast to a certain extent. The cannons fired green plasmid-like bolts at the fireteam.

One after another, the fireteam managed to take a few ships out on their own. They flew together, and mowed them down while in triangle formation, with Alaura in the lead. It wasn’t until a new wave of ships left the larger tomb ships that the guardians became slightly panicked. The ships flew together in small squadrons, coming at them from all sides. The fireteam broke formation to scatter the forces, allowing them to fire at enemies easier.

"Jarvis, I might have a dangerous idea." She fired at oncoming enemy ships, destroying two that came her way. Jarvis perked up from looking down at the digital map, waiting for her reply. "I'm going to need you and Dinklebot to coordinate this. Tanis, head directly towards me with a few on your tail. Ghosts, make sure our ships don't impact as one flies up, and the other down."

Tanis questioned warily, "You think that'll work?"

"Are you insane? The chances of success are lower than twenty percent!" Jarvis exclaimed in surprise. His ghost shell clammed up for a moment and shook, as if a chill just ran through his circuits.

"Then I hope you two are coordinated." She pushed a few buttons, and watched as Tanis headed in her direction straight on. She eyed the few enemy ships behind her, and grasped the controls a bit tighter in anticipation. Confidence boosted her system, and she had hoped Tanis had felt the same way.

With enemies hot on his tail, Tanis hunched over in his seat, entirely focused on the viewport in front of him. He watched as Alaura's ship grew increasingly closer. Dinklebot glanced over at him, unsure if this was going to work.

At the last second, Jarvis and Dinklebot took control of the ships and forced them to go in opposite directions, narrowly escaping demise. The enemy ships didn't react fast enough and crashed into each other, creating a large amount of silent explosions.

Alaura cheered and threw her hands into the air. The biggest smile formed on her lips as she declared, "You guys have little faith in me."

"With good reason. I can't believe that worked!" Jarvis opened his eye after being frightened for their lives. Everyone took a moment to calm down, and return to shooting down enemy ships, destroying the fleet slowly, but surely.

Malachi looked over warily at the other two friendly ships. They fought so hard to make it to where they were. His teammates were some of the strongest people he's ever met, and he still couldn't believe it. Hitmen, bodyguards, security teams, con artists, they had nothing on this fireteam. Couldn't even compare, surprisingly enough. Their strong will to save humanity, even though there was a minimal chance of success, made them so determined. Nothing could stop them, except for death itself.

That's why he had to save them.

Malachi sucked in a sharp breath, ignoring the immense pain coming from his gunshot wound. He shot at the enemy ships that followed his teammates, and directed them in his direction. He took a hold of the controls and flew off the path. The enemies shot back and fired at the back of his black Javelin, almost destroying the paneling before Malachi spun around.

Tanis was the first to notice his leave. He checked the screen looking out behind his ship, and saw no enemies. He followed Alaura off to the side, away from the oncoming assault from Hive ships. Tanis panicked in slight fear of losing one of his only friends, "Are you crazy? You against them?"

Jarvis circled where he was on the digital map, and how many enemies were following him. Alaura glanced down at it, a small tinge of distress rising up in her chest. _He won't make it. There's no way. I can't lose someone else._ She called out over comms, "It's too dangerous, Malachi. Let me handle this myself."

A sad smile graced his lips. If anything, this might've been goodbye. Short. Sweet. Simple. And, hell, he didn't have to see their expressions. All the better for him. "I got you, guys. I'll meet you there." His voice wavered a bit at the last part of the sentence. He's said this before, and he failed his partner. He couldn't stand to lose again. He coughed in an attempt to cover it up, "Just get there safely." He sharply turned his ship as he set a new course for some random abyss of space in hopes to save his team.

"That better be a promise, Malachi," Alaura nearly threatened him, but left the statement incomplete. He wouldn't want to know what came next. She hit the side of her chair, angry that another team member could possibly perish. She wanted to go after him, but the odds of getting themselves all killed were too great.

Communications ran silent for a while. Alaura fired at enemy ships, maneuvering through space as best she could. Jarvis helped correct some of her flight mistakes, allowing a smoother flight to occur.

Tanis focused on enemy ships that were on his tail. He pulled his ship up as fast as he could, and spun it in a circle as he performed a loopdy-loop. When he steadied his ship, the enemy ships were now in front of him. He fired at all of them, causing them to explode on impact. He dove down to escape the explosions and debris.

"Damn, Tanis. Where did you learn how to do that?" Alaura asked in surprise. He was turning out to be more of a natural badass than she was. For a moment, she felt like a proud mother of her child. Tanis had grown so much since the transfer, and even though there were some quirks, it definitely was for the better.

"I'm not sure, but that was awesome! Woo!" He cheered in almost a childish innocence. It was the same innocence and exhilaration he had when they infiltrated the town underneath The Traveler. Even if he didn't remember, he was beginning to act more like himself every passing day.

A portal opened up off to the left, and the Hive fleet began to retreat into it. Alaura and Tanis followed them, shooting down every single one they could before they disappeared into the portal. When the last ship entered, the portal closed, and the two guardians were forced to end their adventure. They flew down to the rendezvous point back on Earth in silence.

 

The playground wasn't there anymore, and not because Tanis royally wrecked it way back when. It was now part of a forest that ended when it met the street. On the other side was a plain green grass field that ran on for miles. Under the moonlight, it was gorgeous. The light reflected off of the bright leaves and grass blades, creating a soft glow around everything. The cold atmosphere made the hot jumpships creak as they flew by.

Alaura and Tanis set their jumpships down in the field. No other ship was in sight, and their spirits dropped a little bit because of it. Malachi wasn't there. Neither of them knew if he even survived. The two ghosts couldn't raise Macey on their own private communication lines.

In order to get comfortable for their wait, Tanis collected wood from the trees nearby. He set them in the little fire pit Alaura had set up, and waited for her to start the fire. She used her survival techniques to start the fire with ease. After that, they sat in silence around the campfire, lost in their own thoughts. The fire crackled against the wood, and popped from time-to-time. The crickets chirped softly in the grass from afar, creating a chorus of nightly music.

Alaura stared down at the fire, and got lost in the flames' dance. She gave Malachi so much shit over the time she's known him. And for what? Fun and games? Challenging his abilities? Annoying him? She almost felt bad for putting him through all of it. Sure, he'd been somewhat of a jerk in the beginning, but he was starting to open up to them. He started to treat them as his teammates, not some random strangers he got paired up with. Malachi even started to soften his hard exterior, and it wasn't only because of his blood loss. Or, at least, Alaura hoped it wasn't because of that.

Malachi was a true friend to them. Hell, he risked his life just to save them. Alaura thought back to just a few hours earlier when she had saved him with the void bubble. Her heart raced, for she was so afraid to lose someone else. This man was starting to mean something to her, and she wasn't sure if she should start feeling comfortable, or scared.

The flames danced underneath the stars, bright and shining red. Tanis listened to the soft music Dinklebot played in his head, calming his entire being. He felt relaxed, until he remembered they were waiting for Malachi. Had he made it? Did he die from the Hive, or blood loss? If he had fainted, would Macey guide his ship back to the team? These questions swirled around Tanis' mind. But why? What did the hunter mean to him?

Malachi meant a lot to him. Regardless of how little he knew of him, and despite how he tried to kill him multiple times, the hunter was a friend. Maybe an even potential brother he never had. They definitely had their differences, but he could see how much Malachi cared. Tanis had been so wrapped up on his search for knowledge, that he neglected Alaura's broken emotions when she came back to them. Malachi picked up the slack and tried to make things right. He would have done the same thing for Tanis if it came down to it. For that, he was grateful.

A sound emerged from the grass, causing Alaura and Tanis to snap out of their thoughts. They immediately whipped out their primary weapons and aimed it at the target. Their eyes fell on Malachi, who sent them a small nod. "Wow, you guys really know how to throw a welcome back party."

Relieved, Alaura and Tanis holstered their weapons. Tanis gave Malachi a high five for making it back in one piece. Alaura smiled, allowing herself to stuff away the grief that she nearly had. She was about to say something until Malachi spoke up, "I only took so long because I needed to patch myself up." He set his hand on Alaura's shoulder to steady himself as he sat down. He groaned, and leaned back into the grass. "Glad to know I gave you guys a scare."

The two guardians shook their heads and sat back down. They laughed and talked for a long while, until the sounds died down, and they all fell sound asleep next to the warm campfire.

 

_AN: How are you guys liking this story? Also, I have some aesthetics posted on my instagram for my characters across all my fanfics! Slowly but surely, I am getting there. If you guys want to check them out, find me at: thefallennerd_


	22. The Past

_Hit. Hit. Crack._

Alaura punched a couch that she had propped up on the wall earlier. She grunted as she sent a kick at one of the cushions. Sweat dropped down from her hair to her brow.

The screams…God, she could hear the screams of all the lost civilians and her teammates. It clouded her hearing and formed a horrifying choir that echoed against the walls of her mind. She punched the couch cushions as hard as she could, and didn't let up.

The guilt wouldn't vanish. As happy as she was with her new makeshift team, letting her old team down seemed to be glued to her conscious. Alaura released a brief sigh and felt a warm heat surge through her arm down to her hand. She closed her now dark purple eyes before throwing one last punch. The couch lit up in a bright purple light, and disintegrated into purple ash-like flecks. Alaura opened her eyes and leaned against the wall tiredly, her chest heaving to take in fresh oxygen.

Jarvis monitored her closely, and computed the results from her training in his head. He showed her some possible statistics of overexertion on some parts of the body in the close future, and she nodded in response. Jarvis twirled his shell as he eyed his guardian, worried for her mental state.

The screaming in her mind ceased when a voice spoke up from the other side of the room, "You really need to calm down, Ms. Fight Club."

Alaura turned around to see Malachi leaning against the doorframe. She scoffed and ran her hands through her sweaty hair. Practicing for an hour had taken a lot out of her, but she couldn't just sit down and relax. Her body yearned to be active. "Yeah, and you're supposed to be resting, Deadshot."

Malachi smiled lightly at the fact that she used a nickname. With her playing his game, he felt more comfortable to open up. "I tend to rebel, if you haven't noticed it already."

"If that's what you call it. To me, it's simply not listening," she shrugged, a smirk lifting a corner of her lips. She reached over into her duffel bag and brought out a water bottle for each of them.

Malachi refused at first, but gave in quickly. He was in no mood to fight. He glanced around the room before sitting on the only couch left. The whole apartment was a mess, and his teammate only contributed to the mess. The small city evacuated a while ago, headed off to god knows where. Nowhere was safe with those creatures out there, and apparently, it was the fireteam's job to take them out. At least, that's what Alaura and Tanis believed.

"Do your wounds hurt a lot?" Alaura questioned as she took a sip of water.

"Just sore. The bleeding stopped last night," he answered. He leaned back a bit to get into a comfortable position and draped one of his arms on the back of the couch. The memory of the attack floated through his mind. The worry, the fear, it was all over in seconds once Alaura saved him. Then, suffering through some jokes to make her smile was worth it. Malachi's brown eyes peered over at Alaura longingly.

 _She_ was worth it.

He was done with trying to deny what he wants. Pushing down emotions, being in denial, squishing his mentality into what it used to be, it was all pointless. He was happily to admit to himself that he's changed, and internally, he already had in his heart. He had a team, and they meant the world to him. It was time to let go of his old mentality too.

"…Hello? Are you going to respond?"

Malachi was shaken out of his thoughts, a little disoriented on what was happening. He quickly replied, "What?"

"You're going to sit out on our next mission," she ordered sternly. The last thing they needed was another casualty. Alaura watched and waited or a reaction, for she expected retaliation. Malachi wasn't always the most cooperative, so she created responses in her head ahead of time to prepare.

He furrowed his brow, half in skepticism, and half in confusion. "To _hell_ I'm not," Malachi shot back in a defensive tone. He sat forward as much as he could without straining himself and questioned, "What happened to being a fireteam? You and Tanis dragged me through the adventure just so you can bench me here? No. I'm going with you."

Alaura turned to face him fully and spat back, "I'm _not_ going to let you go out there just to die. I might've been quick enough last time to save you, but what if I can't this time around?"

"What if I stay and you or Tanis gets injured, or even _killed_? I could've been there to stop that from happening," He raised his voice at her, but caught himself, and attempted to calm down before his anger got the best of him.

She narrowed her eyes and motioned to his wounds. "I need you to heal. If my team couldn't handle the Hive while fully healthy, how do you even stand a chance?"

Malachi scoffed as he stared her down. He challenged her, "I have you guys, a ghost, and on top of that, the power the Light gives me. I'm going with you whether you like it or not, sweetheart."

Alaura was about to retaliate until Tanis came through the front door of the apartment. Dinklebot followed close behind and entered the living room as his guardian shut the door. "We scouted the area and found supplies," Tanis declared proudly. He strolled into the room and plopped down on the chair across from his team. "I also salvaged some parts to upgrade our weapons."

Alaura's face blanked for a second before she turned her body to sit on the couch the right way. She cleared her throat, "That's good, Tanis. Thank you."

Tanis looked over at Malachi to see him nearly scowling. The Exo wanted to furrow his brow, or even frown, but his mood lowered at the fact that he couldn't. "Did I miss something here?"

Malachi's expression eased and he shook his head. "No, Tanis. Nothing worth mentioning, anyway."

A closed off answer. Tanis expected half as much. He shook it off and changed the subject to something more genuine, "I'm happy to see you're doing okay, Malachi."

"Likewise, buddy."

  _What did he mean by that?_ Tanis contemplated for a moment. As much as Tanis IV wanted to know his origins and other information, just one look at his fireteam made him feel wanted, as if all that ever mattered was them being together. He leaned back in his chair, yearning to smile. Dinklebot almost read his mind and settled down on the coffee table in relaxation. Tanis nodded, mainly for his own reassurance as a replacement for a smile, and spoke up in a soft, heartfelt manner, "I'm really glad you two are my friends. You're the only people I have that I can call a family."

"Family until our dying breaths." Alaura played with Kai's dogtags around her neck in thought as she said those words out loud. It seemed like yesterday they were just strangers trying to kill each other over an object. Time flies when you're in the middle of action. "Look at us. We've come pretty far if we consider each other family. Even if we're a little dysfunctional," she chuckled lightly.

"Dysfunctional is definitely the right word for it," Tanis snickered and nodded at Alaura. Of all the arguments, bickering, and wittiness they shared together as a group, he wouldn't trade it for the world. His friends had his back when no one else has, or at least, that's what he could remember.

Malachi's eyes flickered from Tanis to Alaura, a small smile warming up on his lips. A thought returned to his mind and he debated on if he should say it out loud. Doing so would make it real, something he could never take back. _I trust them with my life. Alaura almost killed herself to save me. I have no doubt Tanis would do the same._ He thought to himself. He licked his lips slowly and ceased the debate altogether.

He almost chuckled, a slight, breathless snort coming out of his throat. He was the most closed off person in the group, yet here he was, about to open his heart to them. If only he could tell his past self that to see his own reaction. "I agree with you, Tanis. When I…" Malachi hesitated for a moment, but saw his teammates turn their gazes to him and saw reassurance in their eyes. "When I got hit in the last battle, I thought that was it. I thought I was going to die, even if it was for the briefest second. When the second passed, my mind processed what I was thinking about because, well…people say their life flashes before their eyes. But mine didn't. I saw you guys.

"We were hanging out at some bar in some dream, or the distant future. Whichever suits your fancy. Drinking. Sharing war stories with other people. Living the dream of victorious guardians that saved the entire galaxy. And in that moment, I was happy. I _am_ happy." That was the whole-hearted truth. A weight lifted off of Malachi's chest now that he finally said it out loud. "You two are my closest friends. After losing…" he paused, but quickly finished the sentence, "I never thought I'd be close to anyone again."

Tanis caught onto how Malachi skipped over the name he was going to mention. His fingers tapped against the arm in the chair as he opened and closed his mouth for a brief moment until he found the right words to say. "What happened to your partner?"

Then, came silence. Malachi bit his lip, and for a moment, he was left speechless. He didn't know what to think, or even what to say. His eyes locked onto the ground as he tapped his foot. _It's time to finally talk about this._ His heart rate increasingly sped up. This was the first time he'd actually say this out loud to anyone. "I, uh…" he paused, hesitant at first, but saw his teammates look at him in confusion and concern. He dragged his hand down his mouth and chin before continuing, "I had a twin sister named _Macey_."

Alaura and Tanis straightened their posture in realization of how the name came about for his ghost in the first place. Alaura leaned forward a bit, interested in what had happened. Tanis watched Malachi closely and tilted his head in slight curiosity.

"When we turned eighteen, we were kicked out of the foster care program and out into the real world. In order to make ends meet, I was doing work under the table. Odd jobs here and there. Macey found out, and well…" he rubbed the back of his tense neck for a moment, "she hated it at first. I would come home with bruises at first. Some black eyes. Got stabbed once, hurt like a bitch. Eventually, she warmed up to the idea. She joined me when I went out on jobs. Everyone in the crime world knew our names and what we were capable of. We were invincible. Inseparable."

A small smile formed on his lips, but it faltered as quickly as it formed. He took a deep breath and steadied his now shaking hands. "We robbed a guy out of state that had the right connections. Next thing we know, there was a hit put out on us. The thugs met us at our house, guns ready. I don't even know how the bastards knew where we lived."

Malachi's lips formed a tight line as fresh water came to his eyes. He blinked it back, but the pain inside stung his heart. "I told her to go. That I'd meet her there at the safe house. I had to fend them off to allow her to escape." Malachi hung his head as some water escaped from his eyes. It was one thing to let it happen. It was another to show his team the weakness he put out there.

He coughed to cover up the crack in his voice, "By the time I got to her, she was on the floor bleeding from a gunshot wound. She had taken out the guy that followed her, but not before he took a shot. He had made sure it was slow, and painful for her."

Malachi once held his sister in his arms as he screamed. He attempted to stop the bleeding, but she had lost so much blood already. Her blood stained his skin and her skin paled. The warmth that emanated from her seemed to grow cold and distant with the sound of her heartbeat. Her once bright brown eyes faded into nothingness. Malachi screamed his lungs out, agonizing over the loss of his sister. He didn't fear death at that moment.

He feared of being alone in the world.

"I told her, _I got you_ …" He sniffled at the memory. Those words meant so much to him, and yet, he didn't have her. He lost her as he uttered those words. All he held was a lifeless body at that point. "She died in my arms. After that, I wanted to be alone. Isolated. Ignored all of my feelings and only focused on my hate. Took my anger and sorrows out on jobs and the like. So when I tell you guys that same expression, I truly mean it. I will _not_ fail this time to protect anyone in my life."

Alaura frowned and set a hand on his shoulder in comfort. Malachi wiped away his tears with his sleeve and put his hand on top of Alaura's to show appreciation for the support. Everyone had lost something. Tanis' life and identity. Alaura's team and her identity. Malachi and his sister. They were all broken in similar ways, yet every single one of them carried the weight differently. Whether it was being optimistic and searching for it, or completely ignoring it altogether, they were bonded by these losses.

It made them stronger as a team.

Alaura raised her water bottle into the air as if it were an alcoholic drink. She toasted in a solemn tone, "To family." Malachi and Tanis did the same; all three of them drank water in memory of loss and celebration of new encounters.


	23. Storm of the Century

Darkness.

Normally weightless, but at the moment, the Darkness felt like it weighed down on the fireteam's shoulders. Sulfur, blood, and a strong smell of different metals hung in the hot air. The silence almost reminded the team of a cliché horror movie. Something was bound to pop up any second.

But nothing ever did.

All three guardians carefully walked through Tenebrous Tunnels below the city of Freehold on Mars. The ghosts lit up the way like little bobbing flashlights. The power had been cut, tunnels evacuated, and everything stood in the place it was left. Trains had their doors opened as they sat right in the middle of the tracks. The ventilation system didn't work, so the heat down there was almost unsettling. Bodies sprawled out in a few places among the walkways, their blood dripping down into the train track.

Tanis stepped over the bodies and continued the walk, but couldn't help but to cringe internally. His mind flashed back to a meadow with thousands of dead bodies, some of whom he had known once. Then, like a switch, he was back in reality staring down a branch of three tunnels ahead. He put his hand up and examined it, flexing his fingers to make sure he was really there.

"Are you okay, Tanis?" Dinklebot questioned, noticing his hesitation. He got closer to his helmet to examine his guardian to know what he was feeling. Confusion. Slight anger. Confliction. His analysis halted once Tanis put his hand up to brush the subject off.

"I am fine." Tanis glanced over at his teammates. He pointed his gun ahead of him. "Which way?"

"Split up," Malachi suggested without thinking. Macey turned to look at him and shook herself to show she was against it. He shrugged. "What? Should we waste time and check all three as a team? Sometimes you have to improvise."

Alaura sighed to herself and shut her eyes tight. As stupid as it was, he was right. Those two weren't trained for long missions. Condensing time is exactly what needed to happen. Tanis could handle himself. Malachi? Well…he would be against it if one of them joined him down a tunnel. He was still healing from his wound, but was stubborn enough to come along. No amount of bickering could've stopped that. "Stay on comms. If we haven't found anything within five minutes, we head back here. Got it?"

"Are you implying that I'm right?" Malachi smirked slightly underneath his helmet. He glimpsed over at Alaura, who didn't reply and walked right into the tunnel to the left. He scoffed and looked over at Tanis, who was half-laughing to himself. "She's stubborn as all hell. Stay safe, buddy." Malachi grabbed his hand cannon and walked into the tunnel in the middle.

 _This team is starting to feel more like family everyday. Family…yeah. That’s the word I'm looking for._ Tanis thought to himself for a short second, the word sticking to his mind for some reason. He stepped into the tunnel to the right and walked for a good minute. Dinklebot worried about his guardian and looked at him, accidentally shining the light at Tanis. Tanis put his hand up to block it, and Dinklebot quickly turned away to face down the tunnel as he started talking, "Stop. Take in the environment."

Tanis glanced around in confusion and bluntly declared, "It's a dark tunnel, Dinklebot."

"Eyes only see what they want to see. The Darkness blinds you. Close your eyes. Listen to the sounds around you. Focus on the Light The Traveler has given you. It will guide you. It is, only then, when you find what you are looking for."

As ridiculous as it seemed, Tanis complied and listened to the environment around him. He focused on The Traveler's Light, slowly at first. Soon, all he could see was Light behind his closed eyelids. There were clinking sounds, then silence. It picked up again, echoing against the walls in the tunnel. There were blurry figures at the end, causing Tanis to break focus and open his eyes. "Guys, it's this way," he spoke up over comms. "Dinklebot, you're the best! If you teach me how to do that better, I could probably map out everything ahead of me. Right?"

"Theoretically? No. Is it possible? I wouldn't rule out anything. I have faith in your abilities, Tanis. I want to see how much you can actually do. Now your teammates? That's a whole different conversation altogether," Dinklebot replied as he headed down the tunnel.

His guardian side-stepped over that conversation and defended his friends in a light manner, "They mean well." Tanis watched Alaura and Malachi turn around the corner into the tunnel, their ghosts bobbing beside them. "They're my _friends_. If they don't hunger for knowledge about the Light like I do, then so be it. They'll get there eventually."

The three walked to the end of the tunnel and ended up staring at a battlefield. With the little area the ghosts lit up, all they could see were dead Vex body parts and white fluid. Lights and gunfire darted in the middle of the room, followed by the eyes of the Vex staring down the enemy. Hive were fighting back maliciously, as if they were trying to take this territory away from the Vex. Many golden Knights and thralls pushed back the forces of the Minotaurs and goblins.

"Why are the Knights a different color than before?" Tanis asked, stepping forward to examine them more closely.

Dinklebot focused in on them, and quickly bobbed back. "I never thought we'd see them again…The Spawn of Crota are here, which means Crota is on his way to this galaxy."

"What are you talking about?" Malachi raised his gun as a precaution.

Jarvis filled him in, "Crota is a Hive god. The _Eater of Hope_. He's been stalking The Traveler for a while…Now his spawn are here." Jarvis' eye widened and he flew around urgently, "We have to get out of here now! Omnigul must b-"

A shrill scream echoed against the walls of the train station, causing the fireteam to cringe and nearly cover their ears. A poison cloud formed around them, constricting their lungs with its burning touch. The guardians scrambled out of it and inhaled in fresh air. Their light shields remained up, but were damaged.

The scream tuned to a higher pitch before a wizard spawned in ahead of them. Its eyes glowed blue and spikes jutted out of its bony head structure. The bottom of its robes were dyed in the blood of its enemies. It screamed again, but this time, it sounded more like a laugh than anything.

Jarvis yelled out, "She's here! Find some cover!"

Alaura fired her automatic rifle at Omnigul as her teammates dove for cover. The wizard glowed blue and dodged as many bullets as it could by rapidly flying through the air. Omnigul raised her arms and summoned the Hive to surround the fireteam on all sides. The Vex teleported closer to the group, seeing that the Hive had taken their directive elsewhere. The robots attacked from behind, while the enemies protected Omnigul. The wizard called out a spell and put a slowness gas all around the room; she closed off all of the exits with heavy poison clouds.

Alaura reloaded her weapon and called out, "We need a way out of here!"

Macey projected out in front of herself, "We haven't pulled guardians long distances before. We'll need some time."

"Time is not on our side. Remember?" Malachi stated as he shot at any enemies he could. Each pop of the hand cannon kicked back against his hand. He took a brief second in between shots to line up his next one, hitting the targets right in the critical areas. The Vex twitched and crumbled to the ground, while the Hive disintegrated upon impact. He threw a knife at one of the thralls, hitting it right in the middle of its head.

Alaura jumped up into the air and shot a rocket at the huge cluster of thrall below. She accidentally backed up while in the air and fell into another cluster. She kicked one back into a couple more thrall. Alaura's fist collided with another, sending it flying in an aura of blue. Her hand grabbed a hold of her fusion rifle and blasted her enemies away a couple at a time.

Tanis shot at the Knights that were moving up on his side. The guns they held were massive, and he tried his best to dodge every blast. He pushed some thrall away and disintegrated one in order to devour its life force. The life replenished some of his damaged Light shield, but not much. He reloaded his scout rifle and attempted to gain some ground between him and the enemies, but they all swarmed around the team. He could hardly tell where his teammates were amongst all the chaos.

A sharp claw dug deep into Tanis' arm. He cried out and twisted around to throw the thrall off, but came in contact with a Knight instead. The guardian gasped and shot his weapon at the enemy's head, but to no avail. The Knight brought out a sword and chopped Tanis' arm right off, the thrall falling with it. He screamed out, yet his facial expression never changed. Tanis flailed for a second, stumbling backwards in disbelief.

"Tanis!" Malachi called out. He felt a rush of worry and anxiety about his friend possibly dying. Malachi grabbed one of his knives and slashed through as many enemies as he could. It built up in his system so much that before he knew it, he was emitting a bright blue light and moving at a faster speed. _I can't let him die. Not like this._ His speed grew quicker, and soon, he was flying through the air, hacking at multiple enemies faster than he could swing normally.

Alaura ran over to Tanis and covered him as much as she could. She tried to summon her abilities, but failed to do so. She called out to Jarvis for help, and he guided her onto the right path. Alaura slammed her fists down onto the ground, sending a surge of electricity outwards that obliterated any enemies in its path.

Once Malachi started to slow down, he caught a moment to catch his breath. It wasn't much until more Vex teleported in, and Omnigul summoned more of her minions. He pulled out his fully loaded machine gun and mowed down anyone that came near the team.

Tanis peered down at his empty arm socket in slight shock. He opened his mouth to say something until Dinklebot started talking in an attempt to soothe him. Tanis regained some strength and grabbed his sidearm, shooting the small pistol at anything that got too close for his liking. It got his mind off of his arm for the time being.

Alaura glanced down at Tanis' dead arm and then back at the battle. A knot formed in her stomach as her mind started to hesitate. She put her gun down and stared at the oncoming enemies.

The gunshots rang in her ears, bringing her back to the days of her fireteam. The blasts the Knights fired turned into the RPG that Kai was hit with. The dead, putrid smells mixing in with metal almost reminded her of when she killed those sleeping men and had to rub their blood off of her knife. She flinched and blinked a few times to come back to reality; the knot grew in size. The words that came out of her mouth were almost too quiet to hear, "There's too many of them. I…I don’t think we can do this."

Malachi turned back to her quickly and declared over comms, "What? Of course we can. _You're_ having doubts?" A thrall came too close and he knifed it quickly before it could claw him.

Alaura backed up into their small cover space and reflected out loud, "Tanis is wounded. More Vex are spawning in. Omnigul is here. I have to think about my team. The enemies are in the subway station, so we have time to warn the base nearby before they get to the surface."

"I-I'll be fine, Alaura," Tanis stuttered for a second. He got a tighter grip on his pistol and fired it at a Knight who inched towards Alaura. It fell and crumbled into nothingness.

Alaura snapped, "I'm _not_ losing either of you. Got it?" She shot her fusion rifle at a thrall closing in behind Tanis and let out a deep breath. Her chest weighed heavier than she remembered; she tried to clear her mind from panicking, but it seemed like all she could do at the moment. Failure was imminent. Her and her fireteam were stuck and there was nothing they could do about it but fight until their last breaths. Memories of all the battles she's gone through flashed through her mind, causing her to close her eyes for a brief second. "I'm sorry. I just need a second to breathe."

Omnigul whipped around the room and focused in on where the fireteam was. She whirled around their cover and aimed to fire at them. The last thing they saw was the bright shining blue bolts shooting through the air towards them before the ghosts teleported them up to the entrance of the tunnels.

A sick feeling overcame Alaura and Malachi, causing them to lean against the wall. Being in the heat of battle one second and then ripped away released a lot of built up pressure too quickly. Malachi breathed heavily and took a second to take off his mask. He wiped the sweat off of his scruffy face and spit some blood out of his mouth.

Tanis whimpered about his arm, but felt Dinklebot settle on his shoulder for a moment. A sense of reassurance washed through him; he closed his eyes to calm himself. "At least we know it's a dead zone down there. No people to save," he said with slight assurance. He opened his eyes and saw his teammates nodding in response.

"We-we have to warn the base." Alaura shook her arms out, ignoring all of the heavy feelings and knots in her system to the best of her ability, and got ready to go back out onto the hot Mars terrain. She let out a deep breath as her mind silenced, and all that could be heard was the soft buzzing in her ear.

The team was thrown back a bit by the sheer force of the wind and sand whipping through the air once they got outside. They had walked directly into a massive sandstorm. The sand piled higher and higher against the tall buildings, almost covering some of them completely. It was anything unlike the ghosts had ever seen. The whole city was about to be buried and taken over.

The fireteam pushed forward through the hot, heavy sand. Rocks flew up and clinked against their armor. Tanis' coat flapped against the wind, but held in place. Malachi's hood yanked him back by the neck, and he desperately reached for something to grab onto, but came up with nothing. He stumbled backwards and almost got swept away in another direction until Tanis and Alaura caught him. They all linked arms and treaded on, even though they had no clue where they were going.

A scream echoed off of the sand dunes in the distance. Alaura peered desperately into the abyss, but in the end, she couldn't see shit. There was gunfire, explosions, and a siren started to go off. She reached forward and started making her way towards the commotion until all three ghosts yelled out to stop over communications.

The fireteam froze. Through the heavy amount of sand, the guardians could barely see the Vex standing all around them, but the Vex could see them clear as day. Their glowing red eyes stared at the three guardians, unmoving and unblinking. Sand whipped around and clinked against their metal bodies, yet they didn't move an inch from their positions.

Alaura glimpsed around quickly, her mind racing with different tactical strategies to use in the next minute in case guns started firing. She breathed heavily as she could hear the bloodbath coming from just the other end of the storm. Soldiers were out there laying down their lives, yet here the fireteam was, trapped in a Vex enclosure.

Malachi glanced over at Tanis, who was practically scanning the robots with his eyes and taking mental notes. He didn't reach for his weapon. Malachi turned to Alaura, who analyzed everything underneath her helmet. His hand twitched for his hand cannon on his belt, but he held himself back for once in his life and thought about it. He trusted Alaura's judgment, and reacting recklessly like he used to would only make things worse. "Alaura, what do we do?"

"We can barely see them. There's nothing we _can_ do," Tanis answered simply, his voice lowering in a tone of lost hope.

"We're going to…" she paused for a split second in hesitation, but quickly felt a rush of reassurance. _There can't be more Vex surrounding us now than there were down there. We have a chance this time._ Alaura grabbed the grip of her assault rifle and responded, "Triangle formation. Take them out."

Jarvis' voice rose up on comms, "Not so fast." The ghosts proceeded to pull the fireteam into their own ships that had flown in above them. Alaura yelled out, while the other two sat down in the pilot chairs in disappointment. "We're leaving, now."

Dinklebot attempted to ease the situation, "It's too dangerous here. This is for your own safety."

 _We can help! Why won't you let us?_ Alaura threw her hands out and yelled out, her words echoing against the sides of her helmet, "We can't just leave the troops here! You leave no brother in arms behind. That's what I was trained for. Take Malachi and Tanis to safety. _Let. Me. Go_."

"The Traveler told us to leave. I'm sorry, but we have to go, _now_." Jarvis materialized near the flight console and his eye turned to the window. More gunfire and explosions sounded off in the distance. Then, the ship shook and took blasts from the Vex below.

Tanis started to come together. _If there are people we can help, then we should. That's our duty as guardians._ He stood up and abruptly cut Dinklebot off before he could speak, "We're leaving no man behind." There was nothing they could do down below, but now they could take action. If only they could see through the storm…

Dinklebot materialized and flew over to the side of the ship in agitation. Here the ghosts were trying to save their guardians, yet they were seen as the bad guys. They were just following orders from The Traveler. Who would they be if they disobeyed their own creator? Dinklebot sent a message to the base. He turned back to Tanis once he was finished and stated, "There, I've told them to evacuate. Now let's go."

The guardians attempted to take control of the flight controls to steer the ships into battle, but the ghosts had it on lockdown. All they could do was curse to themselves as they were taken to safety.


	24. True Bonds

London had fallen long ago.

The guardians arrived shortly after the last battle. Echo IX welcomed them to an abandoned five star hotel. Half the building had been torn down, but everything in it still worked fine. All three guardians had been sitting in silence since.

Echo IX struggled with putting Tanis' mauled arm back on. He played around with some special tools, counting them one-by-one as if he were checking them off a list before starting the procedure. Malachi played with his knife and threw it at the wall like a dart, aiming for the same mark every time. Macey floated back and forth, dematerializing his knife and rematerializing it in her guardian's hand. Alaura wrote down the places that had been taken over, clicking her pen many times in frustration. Jarvis hovered over the paper and used a hologram to show her other places that went under.

"We can hear your thoughts, you know," Dinklebot spoke up. He rested on Tanis' leg and peered up at him with his big blue eye. _I got you. We're in this together._ He thought, pushing those words into Tanis' mind.

The Warlock ignored him and looked away. He was so close with Dinklebot, but something like this couldn't go unnoticed. He thought he could learn from The Traveler and its vast knowledge. Then he witnessed it leaving humanity to defend itself. Now? Now he had to live with its decision to let those people die. _When will the death end?_

One thing he knew for sure was his team was destined for something great, and that could only mean he had to help as many people as he could. That's what Alaura said. That's what they all agree on. Humanity shall not die. Tanis shook his head. "We can't just let this go."

Malachi added onto that point, "You three were so worried about being loyal to your creator that you obeyed without a second thought." He pointed at the three ghosts before throwing the knife into the wall.

"What were we supposed to do? Ignore it?" Macey projected graphically and bobbed around quickly to express her emotions, well, if she had any.

"Yes!" The Hunter lowered his voice and massaged his brow stressfully, "God, there were women and children out there…" The thought of his sister popped into his mind. All those emotions he had felt at that fatal moment were so clear and fresh in his mind. Imagine what it felt like to lose a child? Or a mother in front of your own eyes? Losing a dutiful father? He couldn't fathom that pain.

Tanis contemplated for a long moment. He shushed Dinklebot's thoughts in his head and silenced him altogether. A tinge of annoyance spawned in his system. His ghost was invading his privacy after what he did. They once shared the same views on The Traveler. It was something great. Something godly, even. They both felt an energy, a connection, to it. They almost considered it their father, something that gave them their light, and ultimately, their life. _I thought we were in this together. We aren't on the same page._ "I get why you ghosts did it, but it doesn't make it right."

Alaura broke the top of the pen on accident and threw it down on the floor. She let out a long breath, calming her nerves down a bit. She grit her teeth for a second before emphasizing, "We _abandoned_ them. You could've left me there."

Dinklebot boosted himself into the air and narrowed his eye. "So you could get _killed_? Are you hearing yourself right now?"

The Titan yelled out without holding back, "I've been through _much worse_ than that!" The ghosts flinched and looked at each other warily. Alaura pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed, frustrated with all of the emotions she contained. She apologized in a softer tone, "I'm sorry, but I don't know how you expect us to feel okay about this decision."

Jarvis stopped projecting the hologram and twirled his black shell. "We had orders. The Traveler told us to pull you out of there."

Malachi laughed out loud for a split second. Soldiers could take care of themselves, but their wives? Husbands? Children? They were ill prepared for this; the fireteam could've helped. The twisted smile on his face only added to the bitterness in his voice, " _The Traveler_ is the one that sent us here. If it didn't send us here to help stop this, then _why are we here_?"

Macey tried to shrug in her own way and showed, "We're on the outside of things too. It doesn't tell us everything."

"It must've sent us here to protect it. To make sure The Darkness doesn't consume it. That's the only logical reason," Tanis claimed.

The venom was clear in Malachi's soured voice, "So it's playing God. Giving us powers. Transporting us to the future. Making us kill these alien creatures so they don't kill it. Great. You know, this is exactly how I pictured my future. Being a goddamn _slave_."

"You aren't a slave. You are welcome to leave at any time," Dinklebot responded sharply. The Traveler was the hunter's only hope of survival. If he wanted to leave, the ghost would let him. No chip off his shell.

Even if it was true, he would never be able to leave. _I'm in too deep to leave._ He thought to himself in resolution. Malachi motioned to Alaura and Tanis. "Both of them would kill me before I even got out of the door."

Alaura narrowed her fiery eyes for a second before agreeing, "He isn't wrong." Malachi was really pushing for this team. He even read them enough to know their future reactions. That was dedication.

Tanis was tired of arguing. This always seemed to be how things went. Death would ensue, then they would argue. Why? Why was saving humanity so stressful? Why couldn't they just function as a functional team? He turned to look at the Exo next to him. "Echo, what are your thoughts on this?"

Echo IX chuckled to himself as if the question was a joke, "Seriously? You guys are given powers straight from the source itself, and here you are bitching about it. If I were you, I'd be out there fighting on the front lines right now. Who gives a damn about anyone else?"

Jarvis watched the Exo Hunter intently. He was…different. Different mindset. Different perspective on life. Different priorities. So far, the only thing Echo had in common with the team was he wanted to fight against the creatures in the Darkness. Jarvis eyed his guardian, studying her as she bit her tongue from saying something presumably vulgar. He spoke up in her place, "They are guardians. They protect all they can, but there are limits."

Echo shrugged. So what? That was the question of the evening. So what if they couldn't save those soldiers? They were bound to die from those damned creatures in one battle or another. Echo IX focused his yellow eyes on a tool he picked up and remarked, "Humans were bound to go extinct anyway. After all the shit they did to the Exos, they deserve it."

Tanis let his curiosity run wild. _What could that mean? What happened with the Exos? Why were humans so against us?_ He stopped the thoughts from further developing and questioned, "What did they do?"

Echo's eyes shifted. The bitterness was clear. "Let's just say that war never changes."

Alaura immediately interjected before anyone else could speak, her voice stern and powerful, "No matter who you are, or what you've done, you don't deserve to go extinct. Not like _this_."

A fight was imminent. As much as he wanted to see Alaura go up in a fist fight against Echo IX, he couldn't let it happen. Blood would be shed if it escalated too much, and he wasn't too sure who it would belong to. Malachi put his knife away and changed the subject, "Is no one remotely bothered by the fact that the right hand woman to a Hive _God_ is in the galaxy? If she's here, he must be too."

Macey noticed what Malachi did and continued on, "It's only a matter of time before he finds you. If he can track The Traveler, he'll know where you are based on your Light."

"And going up against him? You'd need more help than we can give," Dinklebot admitted. They knew hardly anything about them. Just the basics. Nothing important that would aid the team in battle.

A bit of confidence left Tanis. He played with the side of his cloak and calculated their success rate of a battle against Crota. The numbers weren't panning out too well in their favor. "Have you encountered him before?"

Jarvis bobbed from side-to-side, weighing his next choice in words. "The Traveler has a lot of information on these different species archived. We have not met any of them in face-to-face until now."

"So, in other words, we're doomed." Malachi looked down at the ground and felt some pessimism bubble up in his system. That's just what they needed. Confirmation of death. As if saving the galaxy weren't dangerous enough.

Echo added to the misery, "Doomed to a destiny of love, loss, and death. Welcome to my world."

The thought that all of her family and friends were destined to die in such gruesome ways didn't make Alaura feel better at all. Destiny was cruel, and Death was its mistress. Always meeting up at the end, but never together. She shook off the negativity and set up a good discussion for once, "Do you guys _believe_ in destiny?"

Destiny? It could've been just the same as The Traveler's light. There, but unseen. At least, that's what Tanis wanted to believe. The fireteam had powers. They didn't like each other at first, but god damn, they became a pretty tight knit group. He's even become close with Dinklebot. There had to be some cosmic thing out there that led them together. "I believe we were meant to do something great. So yes."

"Hell no. That means we're just pawns in someone else's game." Malachi and his sister lived life on the dangerous side, but at least they lived it to the fullest. There was no way she was destined to die like that. She should've died happily in her sleep at an old age. Not bleeding out from a wound made by some assassin. Malachi dictated his own life. No one else.

Echo added in his own opinion on the subject, "There are many branches on the path of life, but eventually, it all ends up between two paths. The good, and the bad. Destiny is just the word for it." The Exo community taught him a lot from the start. He'd seen many travel both roads, even if there were better choices to be made. Things like that just _happen_.

Alaura fought off the mixture of emotions she held inside. Something was wrong with her, but she didn't want to ruin the moment. The team was having an intellectual conversation for once. Who knew when the next time _that_ would happen. "Well, either way, I'm glad I'm here with you guys. I don't have to go through this alone." Alaura smiled genuinely at all of them, and for a second, she actually caught a glimpse of Malachi grinning genuinely. "You guys are all I have."

Malachi brushed off the grin before anyone could see it and cleared his throat. He nodded towards her, "You're the glue to this group, Alaura. And apparently the sappiest one, so way to turn an intense moment into an emotional one."

After a moment of silence kicked in, Echo set his tools down and stood up. He tugged at his hood to make sure it didn't get stuck on anything. He motioned for Tanis to stand up as well. "Let's make sure your arm is good to go."

Tanis complied, and as soon as he did, he flexed his fixed arm as much as he could. Echo made sure there was a good distance between them before saying bluntly, "Throw a few punches at me." Tanis peered at him as if he were crazy and became hesitant. Echo reassured him, "Come on. I'll block them."

What an opportunity! Now maybe Alaura could see all of Tanis' potential. She agreed with Echo and backed him up, "We need you in top shape out in the field."

As soon as Tanis heard a second vote, he flexed his fingers. Fear rose up in his system. What if he hurt Echo? Would he still be his friend? A flash of the dream popped back into his mind. The blood. The gore. The piles upon piles of mangled bodies on the grassy field before the tall tower…If he had a stomach, it'd be doing flips. But the look of assurance on Echo's face told a different story. Tanis threw a punch, but not one at its full power.

Echo blocked it with his forearm quickly. The contact created a metallic clinking sound. "Good. Now do it again."

Malachi interrupted before Tanis could do it again, "Want to learn how to punch someone's lights out? Here's how you do it." He went up to Tanis and showed him how to hold his fist. Then, he popped a fake punch toward a part of Echo's face. This boy had to learn from professionals, and hell, if Malachi could help, he should.

Alaura shot a playful glare at her teammate. She replied sarcastically, "Oh, you're just the classiest. What you really gotta do is this." She went up to them and performed her own demonstration.

All of them showed Tanis different techniques, while Tanis taught them a few tricks. He didn't know how he knew those things, but he felt safe with the knowledge. It felt as if some angel, or even The Traveler, were looking out for him. They all laughed about certain moves and mocked others. Echo really helped lighten the mood.

For a few hours, they all forgot about the horrible shit show they were truly in.


	25. When It Falls

"Who's to say this _alien_ isn't like the others?" Governor Mihn questioned furiously.

The fireteam wasn't even ten minutes into the meeting with the intergalactic council before all of them began bickering back and forth on what needed to be done. The only councilors present were the three they had met last time, Mihn, Wicco, and Rosaline. The other governors never showed up, or, unfortunately for them, were dead.

Alaura bit her tongue hard and accidentally drew some blood. She focused her fiery eyes at the governor and defended herself, "I'm the same person you met before, and if you aren't fine with it, then so be it." _I'm here to save humanity. Not get your damn approval._

Malachi tossed in his own opinion, "The end of the fucking world is at your door step, and you've been fighting with us over Alaura's looks. Priorities, right?" He stood up from his chair abruptly and sauntered over to stand with the rest of the group. "Just give us a goddamn army and we'll be out of your pretentious hair."

A small scowl settled over Alaura's features. She forced herself to not look his way and stayed on topic. "What my teammate means is if you give us some soldiers to fight with, it'll make everything easier for us. We can save more people. Teach them how to fight these _aliens_ you so desperately need to get rid of."

Governor Rosaline shook her head before stating, "We need all the men we have on those front lines. There are only a handful of cities left. They are our only hope of saving those civilians."

Tanis had stayed quiet for too long. Nothing was getting through to the council, and what they couldn't waste was time. They desperately needed it to plan and act. Words clawed their way through his mind and out of his mouth, "We are the soldiers' only hope of surviving. Even if you don't allow some to join us, we can send a message out to the bases about how to defeat these things."

There wasn't enough of anything. Soldiers, safety, tactics, or even time. Orders weren't getting out quick enough, but even then, some bases wouldn't respond. The galaxy fell apart at too quick of a rate. Mihn locked eyes with the Exo Hunter in the room. He tilted his head up a bit and corrected his posture before addressing him, "Echo IX, what do you have to say about all of this?"

Echo IX looked around at the people around him. Was this actually a question? He'd given his word once. Why did he have to again? Did the council not trust him? He leaned back in the chair he sat in and motioned towards the fireteam. "Give them the army. This fireteam is more capable of leading than you think." There had to be something more. He drizzled some icing on the cake to perfect his answer, "It'll buy you some time to get somewhere safe."

Alaura threw her arms out, motioning to her teammates while letting out some pent up anger. She built onto what Echo said, " _We_ are the best chance to defeating whatever The Darkness is, or at least hold off what comes from it."

A dead silence settled in for a few moments. The governors agreed with what she said, but none of them wanted to come forward and admit it. Governor Wicco wrung his hands, keeping his eyes trained on something in the room. He let out a short breath and concluded, "Your attacks were more successful than our army's. Most soldiers retreated to aid the civilians to safety, rather than dying on the battlefield. I don't blame them."

Governor Mihn snarled, "That still makes them deserters."

"I don't think you understand the meaning of that word," Governor Rosaline shot back. Mihn glared at her, but she stared right back. She wasn't scared of him.

Wicco ignored the other two and moved on, "Which one of you is the fireteam leader?"

That was a good question. None of them have considered that before. All three guardians thought back to the past and how they worked together. They didn't fit together like puzzle pieces, but they came close to it. Malachi glanced at his team and was the first to come up with an answer, "There isn't one. We're a team"

"We contribute different skills and thinking," Tanis added. The personalities clashed from time-to-time, but what team didn't have problems?  

Alaura smiled softly at how true those statements were. These two were nothing like her old team, but damn. There was a whole new team dynamic going on here. "Having a leader means authority above the others. Doesn't really work out with our team dynamic." _Trust me. Having both of them follow orders at all times would be a miracle._

Mihn turned to sharply look at Wicco in disbelief and utter disgust, "You're not really considering this, are you?"

"We are going to contact a few bases to see what strings we can pull," Rosaline declared before Wicco could put a word in. Wicco grinned in exhaustion and nodded in agreement.

"Not you two! Are we not consid-"

The door to the council room burst open and shots fired. The guardians couldn't see anything but the council's reactions. A blast bolt collided with Governor Mihn's head, spewing blood all over the place before he fell out of the frame. The other two governors took out their weapons and fired, yelling at each other to get to safety. Wicco took two hits to the chest before he collapsed to the ground. Rosaline yelled profanities above Wicco's last few screams. She backed up out of the hologram frame; a scream erupted from her throat, and a loud thud followed quickly after.

All three guardians stood there, mouths agape as they stared at the empty holograms. Echo remained silent and waited at the edge of his seat in anticipation.

Noises jostled around in the background. A few slashes. A few mechanical whirrs. A Vex hobgoblin popped up in the hologram frame, staring down at the dead bodies. It moved a bit before making eye contact with the fireteam. It stared at them with its cold, unfeeling eye. It reached forward and pushed a button, causing all three holograms to shut off.  

Tanis shook himself out of his shock. He took initiative with the first thing that came to mind, "Ghosts, can you hack into the government's system?"

The ghosts all glanced at each other warily. They floated closer to the console and began to get into the computer. They all answered simultaneously, "We can try."

"Why do you want to do that?" Echo questioned, standing up from his chair. He moved closer to the console, which lit up in bright colors he didn't know it had.

Alaura tore her eyes away from the empty space where the holograms once were. She started to pace the room, slowly curling her hands into fists. "They're there for information, right? They can't just be on a killing spree. The Vex are smarter than that." If the council had been taken out, then what next? The bases will be running around like chickens with their heads cut off. No unison. No new orders. They'll have to depend on themselves, which worried her the most.

"How do you know?" Malachi spoke up. He ran his hand through his hair. It was only a matter of time before the good-for-nothing government fell. Now that left all the pressure on the fireteam, which didn't bode well for any of them, or their mentalities. The weight of the world was literally on their shoulders.

Alaura replied, short and simple, "It's exactly what I would do."

The ghosts worked hard to get into the system. Macey ran scans, while Dinklebot performed some test runs against the firewall. Jarvis poked around in order to find a backdoor of some kind. The person that made the system was incredibly smart. After a few moments, all three of them came up with the same Vex encryptions. The text popped up onto the screen, allowing all the others to see.

Echo asked without hesitation, "What does that mean?"

Jarvis backed away slowly, breaking his connection to the console. "It's too late."

"They were in the system before the council even knew. They know everything. Schematics. Tactics. Where the troops are placed." Dinklebot couldn't think of how many repercussions this would have. This was it. The end of the end. Dinklebot added, "The army was right to retreat. The Vex was already a whole battle plan ahead of them."

"Damn!" Alaura launched a chair across the room, breaking it on impact. She stomped out of the room and tugged at the ends of her short white hair. Jarvis followed immediately after her, worried for his guardian.

Tanis pointed towards the door in confusion. "What's been up with her lately?"

 _That's a good question, Tanis. She has been acting weird lately._ Malachi frowned and chased after Alaura. Macey floated behind him, trying to keep up with his speedy pace. He pushed open the front door and walked out into the late night. The streets of London were incredibly dark; without the moon, Malachi couldn't imagine how anyone would see on the street. The night was accompanied by a brisk breeze, which swept softly over the land. The stars shined brightly up in the night sky. Without all of the electricity, the sky shone much clearer than before. His brown eyes locked onto Alaura, who was standing in the middle of the street.  

She dragged her hands down her face while attempting to breathe steadily. The breeze helped cool her hot skin, but not enough to calm her down. Alaura crossed her arms once she felt a presence behind her. She thought heard someone follow her out of the building. The question was who. She didn't turn to face them and called out, "I just needed air."

Jarvis analyzed her and brought up her vitals. He pointed out, "Your heart rate is increasi-"

Alaura put her hands out and intervened on his findings in an annoyed tone, "Thank you, Jarvis." Jarvis was taken aback, twirling his shell as he processed what she meant. He focused on his guardian, who appeared to be in distress.

Malachi walked over and stood next to her, giving her a minute in silence. He stared out in the distance, listening to the calm sounds of nature around them. Alaura glanced over at him and looked away just as quick. That's when he knew she was ready to talk. "You completely shut down in the last battle." It was blunt to say that first thing, but he didn't want to beat around the bush with this. Alaura remained silent, causing Malachi to look at her. "You've been angrier than normal. I know Tanis doesn't usually read people correctly…but I can see right through you, Alaura."

Her body tensed up. She played it off and attempted to change the subject, "What? No nickname this time?" Malachi never tore his gaze away. Alaura sighed, knowing he wouldn't budge until she talked. She'd be lucky if he let this slide.

Alaura's stomach twisted inside of her at the thought of his possible reactions. Too many questions swam in her mind. What was he going to think of her? Will he be helpful, or just downright brutal? She didn't even know what was truthfully happening to her, so could she explain it correctly? Would she word it wrong and cause him to react differently? What happens when he think she's unfit for the team? She put her head in her hands for a long moment.

Once she found the words, she finally confided in him, "There's so much pressure on us. I went from being in charge of a fireteam one day, and then being thrown into saving the galaxy the next. Do you know how many people that is? How many people have died so far? Millions. Billions. All of them civilians and soldiers. I've failed them. Failed them all." She pointed towards the building, referencing to the hologram conference they had left behind, "We're always a step behind and I hate it. We can never be there to save everyone."

There were two ways to go with this. Brutally honest, or the nice route. Malachi weighed his options for a moment. Truthful would be a breath of fresh air, but that would be too predictable. Nice would be unexpected. Might win a few brownie points for being different. He settled on it and spoke up, "You are just one person, Alaura. You can't save everyone."

"But I have to try! If not, who does that make me?" _A hypocrite? A failed soldier? A broken human being?_ Alaura hesitated on her next few words. "Sometimes I wonder if I should give up and step away from this altogether. I couldn't think while fighting Omnigul."

Malachi didn't step in this time. He actually _listened_. The ghosts kept to themselves for the time being, listening along as well. Alaura declared, pain emanating from every word she spoke, "Maybe I'm unfit for duty because…" The screaming she heard in her head never ended. It was always in the back of her mind, just waiting for a silence to kick in to kick up the volume. Alaura closed her red eyes; the guilt was eating her alive. She continued, "…everything is finally getting to me. I don't know if it's the guilt, or if it's some kind of twisted joke my mind is making. Even worse, it could be I'm developing PTSD…"

He couldn't think of anything worse than going through that. He knew it all too well. The pain, the nightmares, the agonizing restless nights, it never ended. Malachi set his hands on Alaura's shoulders and stared right into her eyes. His voice was low, but calm, "You are doing the _best_ you possibly can. Maybe all of this _is_ too much for you, but if we just sit by and let the world burn, more people are going to _die_."

A breath barely passed Alaura's lips, and it almost seemed like she didn't speak at all, "What if I lose it on the battlefield?"

"You've done worse to those poor Hive bastards." Malachi dropped his hands to his sides as both of them laughed for a brief second. Alaura smiled, but failed to keep it up. Malachi added onto what he said, "I believe in you. It's okay to feel worried. It's okay to feel tired. I've been through this shit before. Believe me. If I can get through this, so can you."

Macey got in front of them and projected using the hologram, "When did you go through this?"

"You never get over the first time you take someone's life…" he trailed off, averting his eyes away from the group. His brown eyes locked onto the ground, staring at each pebble embedded into the street. The grin on his face faded. "My sister's death didn't help much, either."

"The guardians have much more in common than we previously thought." Jarvis said to Macey. Macey bumped into him, knocking him to the side as if to say _be quiet_. Both of them watched their guardians.

Getting all of that off of her chest surely took some pressure off. She thought Tanis would've been the first to confront her about her feelings, but no. This was a pleasant surprise. Alaura hugged Malachi. She knew she wouldn't hear the end of the rant that followed her next few words, "Thank you, Malachi."

Malachi raised his arms, not sure of how to react at first. He warmed into the hug and wrapped his arms around her. Words almost clawed passed his throat to make a sassy comment about her thankfulness, but he swallowed them down. The moment was too good to ruin. "You're welcome, Alaura. Anytime."

 

Echo IX watched as the two other guardians sprinted out of the room, leaving him and Tanis IV alone. He fixed the torn brown hood around his neck as his yellow eyes glanced up towards Tanis. Confusion fluttered around in his mind. Tanis was one of the smartest people in the group with so much potential, but didn't do too much with it. This guy could be doing so many more things with his life, yet here he was. Echo was the first to speak up, "I get you guys are a team, but why are you with them?"

"They're my friends." Tanis tilted his head to the side a bit in curiosity as he attempted to analyze Echo. He couldn't fathom the thought of leaving his fireteam. That would include abandoning The Traveler and Dinklebot. The Traveler might've tried to abandon them all, but he couldn't prove it when the ghosts were on the outside of this as well. Dinklebot was one of his closest friends, and almost had to fight Malachi for a close second. _What kind of question is that? I've been with them since the beginning. There's no way I'm backing out now._

Echo shrugged. He stood up from his seat and stepped towards the other Exo. He put his hands out as he talked, a blue light emanating from inside his mouth, "We're friends too. Exos have to stick together."

The Warlock rubbed the back of his pale blue metal neck, but felt no releaf from his action. Why had he done that? Why did it feel so normal to do so? Ignoring Echo's comment, Tanis moved on to another topic. "Speaking of Exos…can you tell me more about us? I've read up as much as I could, but it still doesn't make sense to me."

The history was a very long and difficult one. He's been told it many times, but retaining all of the information was a fruitless task. Echo shook his head. "Man, my memory has been wiped way too many times for me to remember anything important like that."

 _That's possible? What?_ Tanis blinked rapidly as he attempted to comprehend what he just said. How does an Exo survive with its mind being wiped? Wouldn't it go insane? Would the mind break eventually? Exos are robots, but there had to be some kind of defect from so many clean slates. "Memory wipes? What are you talking about?"

"That's why my name is Echo IX. The number represents how many memory wipes I've undergone." He peered away and leaned against one of the tables in the room closest to Tanis. Thinking about what people have done to him would make him feel sick if he had a stomach. He shrugged it off, playing it cool, even though he felt otherwise. "My friends tell me it's for the better. I was going insane from my past."

The gears in Tanis' mind whirred and spun faster. _I have a four in my name. What did they do to me?_ If Tanis could feel emotions, he'd be full of panic and fear. _What did they do to me! Why did they wipe my memory so many times? What is my team hiding from me?_ Dinklebot watched as Tanis sunk into a chair. The thoughts he was having only made the ghost worried. Tanis asked out loud in a quiet tone, "And you remember nothing?"

"Nada. It's like waking up." Echo stopped himself from saying more. He tapped his fingers against the table and focused on the clinking sound it made. This wasn't his happiest discussion. Talking about it only made him feel more subconscious.

"You're okay with them doing that?"

Echo stayed quiet for the longest time, lost in his own contemplations. The answer had to come from his heart, or whatever he had. Exos had to stick together, and that meant being open with each other. "Truthfully? No. But if I was out of my mind, then they had no choice. I'd rather still be kicking than dying to end the pain."

Dinklebot bobbed around in the air and glanced around the room frantically. He noted all of the things Tanis could do as he intervened on the conversation, "You know what we need? We need to do something to get your minds off of this. What about another round of sparring?"

Tanis glanced towards the door his friends had left through. How could people that claim to be his friends do that to him? Why? Wasn't he allowed to know the truth? And why did Dinklebot try to change the conversation? Tanis replied in annoyance, " _Not now_ , Dinklebot."

"Research?" The ghost questioned, not completely sure of his suggestion. It was imperative that Tanis moved on before he found out too much.

"Not in th-"

Dinklebot cut Tanis off, "We should really keep an eye on those Vex before they hit another-"

The Warlock spat out, "Dinklebot! What is wrong with you? Are you malfunctioning or something?"

The ghost looked Tanis up and down. He declared almost awkwardly, yet smoothly, "No. Just trying to help my guardian."

"I'd like to talk to Echo some more."

"Okay…" Dinklebot felt unsettled at how close Tanis was getting to the truth. Once that happens, what would he do? What would he think of them? Would he leave the fireteam? Leave his ghost? Abandon The Traveler, even though Tanis thinks that it abandoned him?

The possibilities were endless, and that's what scared Dinklebot the most.


	26. Battle of the Lost

The pale colored sands of Mercury emanated blazing heat. The sky was a rich blue, almost overshadowed by the close red sun rays. The guardians positioned themselves across the way from a giant temple. The building was full of different rectangular parts and machinery underneath the sandstone. Behind them was half the city of Ralok, which was in the early stages of evacuation. Echo's army of Exos were there aiding the civilians.

A large number of Vex stood in front of the temple. The robots stared at the guardians with their illuminated red eyes. They held their guns in front of them, ready to strike if anybody made a move. Since there were no Hive in the area, the Vex were complacent with their territory. The guardians stared right back, and waited patiently.

Echo IX stood his ground, spreading his legs apart a bit to gain a better stance. He raised his pulse rifle, pausing to gain accuracy. His finger hovered over the trigger, ready to blow one of those bastard's heads off.

Tanis IV put his hand on the edge of Echo's gun and lowered it. "Don't. They aren't moving."

Echo snorted, "All the more reason to shoot them."

"As much as I'd like to agree with you on that, the Vex aren't attacking." Malachi watched the enemies with the binoculars he had found in the city. The Vex were standing still, as if they were statues. He dropped the binoculars and put his helmet back on. "I'd rather not be thrown into a shit storm if we can avoid it."

"Look at you, all grown up and acting mature," Alaura teased as she checked her gun. She counted the clips she had on her, making sure they were easy to access in case of a battle started.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, whatever." Malachi brushed it off and peered out onto the terrain. The land was sand, sand, and more sand for miles after the temple.

Alaura prompted Jarvis to tune into a military frequency through communications. Static erupted within her ears. She questioned in a strong voice, "Is the city completely evacuated?" She was met with nothing but silence and static. "Can anyone hear me? This is Fireteam Riptide reporting in. Is the city completely evacuated?"

Tanis looked back, but had to do a double take. He blinked a few times, unsure of what he just witnessed. "I don't think you need to worry about that."

All of them turned around, and were nearly blinded by light. The city that was once there vanished into thin air, if that were possible. Half of the sun appeared on the horizon, allowing the guardians to see the red flairs and flames it contained. They raised their hands to shield their eyes, and stared out at what was there. Nothing but odd columns and electricity they emitted sat in the ocean of boiling liquid. 

Echo ran forward, then immediately stopped. He kicked sand around angrily and yelled at the top of his voice box, "Where did they go? My family was there, my brethren, everyone! They were here to defend the city, and now they're all gone!"

Tanis' mind ran wild with possibilities on what could've happened. All of them frightened, yet intrigued him. Was Vex technology _that_ powerful? "They couldn't have teleported a whole city…could they?"

Dinklebot answered instantly, "We don't know a lot about Vex technology, so it could be possible."

Echo IX halted and stood there, mouth hung open in shock. He whispered softly, mostly to himself, "H-how did they…?" His fingers coiled tighter around the handle of his pulse rifle. Echo attempted to contort his face in anger, but nothing worked. The steel gray plating never moved. He screamed out brokenly and made a mad dash towards the Vex, shooting the entire way. "That was my family! Hundreds of years together and you bastards took them from me!" The Vex screeched mechanically and teleported closer to the guardians.

A sigh echoed over comms, presumably from Dinklebot. Jarvis spoke up, "Our reports say Mercury was transformed into a garden world. The Vex seem to be…altering it, somehow. It's nothing but desert and metal now."

 _So much for avoiding the shit storm…_ Malachi ducked from an oncoming hit by a Vex goblin. He swiped the Vex's legs out from underneath itself, and stabbed its midsection before it even hit the ground. "What kind of reality-warping shit is that? Where did it all go?"

"I-" Alaura reloaded her auto rifle while pushing back the horrendous thoughts piling up in her mind. Some of the enemies got closer than she liked, so she launched a grenade at them and kicked some into it. They blew up into pieces, falling to the ground lifeless. She directed Malachi to the Vex on one side before continuing, "I don't want to think about it."

"Why are they doing this?" Tanis punched one of the Vex in the face and drained its life force with energy drain. He almost put his hand to his side, until he noticed it glowed blue instead of purple. Confusion sparked in his mind as he took a second to examine it. It appeared to be the same blue hue that Alaura and Malachi had a few times before…but he hadn't gained any powers yet from it.

Dinklebot listened to all of the ghost's thoughts in his head before he joined in on the conversation, "If our earlier scans are correct, the Vex are transforming the planet into a machine." More Vex marched out of the temple and straight towards the guardians.

Malachi almost snorted in response, "Machine to what? Destroy the galaxy?" A hobgoblin knelt down after getting hit and had a fire shield surrounding it. After a few seconds, it stood up and aimed its gun at Malachi. The guardian yanked the closest goblin into a headlock, causing the sniper blast to hit the Vex instead of him. Malachi dropped the robot and quickly shot at the hobgoblin. It crumbled to the floor.

Jarvis took a moment to process the situation. "We're not exactly sure."

"And with what the Vex have done to this place, can it change us too?" Tanis questioned after taking a few hits from oncoming fire. He pulled out the sidearm from his belt and shot rapidly at as many Vex as he could. Some fell, others pushed forward, unfazed by his attempt. Tanis' blue eyes glanced over towards Echo, who was amidst a group of Vex, slashing and hacking as many as he could with his hunting knife.

"Since we're here during the changes, which are most likely coming from an alternate universe…" Dinklebot paused to consider the possibilities, "…technically, yes."

A Vex minotaur screeched and dove in for a punch. Alaura dodged, grabbing a hold of her fusion rifle as she did. A long held shot fired from the gun, hitting the minotaur, but not causing any damage. Its shield fell, allowing Alaura to use all her power to jump up and knock it backwards with a kick. She had enough time to charge up the fusion rifle again, and aimed it at its core. Within a few seconds, the creature disintegrated into nothingness. She huffed, "Where's the next closest city?"

Macey compiled all of the reports of the cities that were on Mercury, and quickly narrowed it down to the ones that aligned with their most recent scan. Now with the other half of the city gone, there was only one choice. Jarvis reported, "There's one located not too far from here. From our calculations…it could be the last city on the entire planet."

Minutes passed of pure, sweat driven battle. The guardians worked separately in their own little worlds, taking out as many enemies as they could. No matter what they did, more spawned in by the double, making elimination seem like cutting off a hydra's head. Alaura ordered them to keep formation, but there were so many Vex that they tore apart. The guardians scattered into their own sections, forcing them out of a safety zone.

Thoughts crossed Alaura's mind, slowing her down slightly. The near-blinding sun was behind them, while a temple full of a never depleting army of Vex sat in front of them. _Why are we still here? Why does this matter? How could the Vex seemingly have army after army spawn in without even reporting to each other?_

Alaura ceased her thoughts and decided, "We're protecting nothing at this point. We need to help evacuate that city before they-" Her shoulder lurched forward as a sniper shot burned its way towards her skin through the armor. She hissed from the heat and sent a rocket their way. Alaura finished her sentence, "-before they disappear too." Her mind started to process everything. Worry formed quickly for the safety of her teammates. _Could they disappear, too, because of the Vex? What happened to that town of people? The Exos? No, stop. Think of tactics. Blockade the city. Put down traps..._ Soon, her mind was on overload, thinking of too many things at once. She began to hesitate with each move she made.

Malachi glanced over at Alaura every once in a while, making sure she wasn't going to completely shut down again. He fired his hand cannon at anything he could hit up close. One shot. Two shot. Three. "Alaura is right. We need to get the _hell_ out of here." Echo IX still took his anger and loss out on the enemies, blasting as many away as he could. Tanis stayed close to him, monitoring him out of worry. Except, he didn't pay attention to his own surroundings. Malachi called out, "Tanis, to your left!"

The Warlock whipped around and threw his hand out, hitting the first hobgoblin. While it crouched down in a fiery blaze, he attacked the rest of the goblins that accompanied it. Once the hobgoblin stood up, Tanis kicked its head off and shot it in its abdomen. "Thanks."

Alaura attempted to throw out a void bubble, but the purple light flickered and died instantly. She shot a whole clip of ammo at the oncoming enemies, resisting the urge to put her hands on her head to ease the pain her thoughts created. Her mind became clouded and pounded against her ears. She pushed herself to keep going, yet it only made things worse.

The Titan took a moment to breathe. _Focus. Focus. Not calming down will get someone killed._ She hooked her auto rifle onto her back, and punched any enemies that came her way. The runaway train of thoughts crashed against the walls of her mind, causing her to flinch. She held herself together, and instead of breaking down, she turned the pain into energy. The concept of the Light given by The Traveler enveloped her mind, almost to a point where she could physically see it. She pushed all of her emotions and thoughts away, focusing on nothing but the Light.

Her hands began to grow hot with energy, as if she dug her hands right into the burning sands itself. Then, it felt as if she had been buried alive in it. Fire burned from her skin and through her armor, creating a fireball. Her red eyes flickered around as she noticed she's surrounded by minotaurs and goblins. Hobgoblins shot at her from afar, but each bullet that penetrated her armor didn't hurt her at all. Alaura went in for a punch, but when she attempted to curl her hand up, she noticed she was carrying something. A hammer with an eagle-like head. A sense of empowerment washed over her. She threw the hammer at the enemies, watching them disintegrate one-by-one.

Tanis reloaded his weapon and glimpsed up towards the temple. A blue haze settled in, and with little bolts of lightning, more Vex spawned in. There were a lot of giant ones Tanis didn't recognize. Dinklebot informed him they were Hydras and Cyclops. The guardian's mood plummeted and he responded via communications, "If they follow us, we're going to have a huge problem."

Alaura didn't respond. She lifted herself up into the air and threw one last hammer. Then, the fire disappeared. Her body dropped in temperature, even though her skin simmered. She pulled out her rocket launcher and used it on the remaining Vex below her. She didn't pay attention to the newly spawned Vex, allowing the Cyclops' blast to catch her off guard. It shot a giant purple bolt at her, burning her on impact and sending her straight into a thick pillar across the battlefield. Her back hit the pillar straight on at a fast rate, a loud crunch sound accompanying it; Alaura fell to the ground unconscious.

Tanis IV yelled out at the top of his voice box, "No!" A surge of worry shot through him. He fought his way towards her, using all of his clip to make a path. Blue mist and clouds rolled in, slowly but steadily.

Echo IX noticed, and followed him over there. If he could help save a teammate for Tanis, then he'd give it his all. He didn't want the poor guy to feel the same agony he  currently had. He took down any Vex that dared to get close to Tanis.

Malachi jerked to see where she landed, and before he could think, he was already running towards her. Panic clouded his mind; his long, steady breaths turned into short, spastic ones. "Alaura!" He jumped and knifed some Vex that stood in his path, yet none of them stopped him.

A ghost with a black shell materialized in front of Alaura. Jarvis scanned her body, looking for any remnants of life. His accented voice heightened as he started freaking out, "A ghost without a guardian has failed…they're better off dead."

Enemies swarmed around Alaura and Jarvis, intending to finish them off. Malachi pushed himself to run faster, soon surpassing Tanis and Echo. Macey put words on the screen of his visor, but he disregarded them completely. Echoes of his sister's voice bounced off the walls of his mind. He lost one before.

He wasn't going to again.

 _How do I jump start my powers? Say 'flame on'? Do some kind of hand motion and jump? How-_ Malachi stopped his own train of thought and narrowed his focus down to his panic. The heart in his chest pounded against his bones. His hands were moving so fast, back and forth with slashing at any Vex he could see, that he didn't need to think about it. Just react. The more he focused on his abilities and motions, the more his body emitted the same blue light from earlier.

With each moment, he became quicker and flew through the air. He screamed out as he scraped the hunting knife against the Vex, jabbing at any place he could. Electricity enveloped him, making him emit a bright blue aura. Knife. Jab. Swish. Bodies dropped down to the ground faster than he could count.

When the power died out, he snatched his hand cannon from his belt and fired. He used one goblin as a launching platform and jumped into the air, landing on a minotaur's back. He shot multiple shots down into its body, causing the Vex to spasm in an attempt to throw the guardian off. The hand cannon clicked when it ran out of ammo; Malachi instantly reached for his sniper rifle and shot without looking down the scope. One. Two. Three. Four. The last of the remaining Vex surrounding his fallen teammate fell onto the burning sand. The minotaur's body collapsed underneath him, hitting the ground with a thud.

Malachi breathed heavily and looked around, noticing Tanis slide in the sand next to Alaura. Echo stopped a little ways away to hold off the oncoming troops, firing his shotgun like no tomorrow. He joined in, side-by-side with Echo, killing anything he could shoot at. They were the only line of defense.

Dinklebot scanned Alaura's body, coming up with no sign of life. Her heart stopped completely. Tanis frantically moved his hands, unsure of what to do. Jarvis yelled and panicked, but said nothing that could help. Tanis' mind thought back to anything he could, Venus academy, his studies…Then it hit him. On the battlefield, he saw soldiers performing CPR. It wasn't the best idea, but it was a start.

Tanis moved Alaura onto her back, a sense of nervousness washing through his mind. He moved his hands, but immediately stopped. The clouds and blue mist that had formed just moments before were now surrounding him; his entire body emitted the blue light again, but this time, lightning sparked off of his armor. Jarvis cried out.

Dinklebot caught onto what was happening. The ghost retained his calm composure and instructed, "Tanis, this can save her. Use your powers on Alaura. It can't hurt her, but we haven't tried to influence the powers to save someone before."

The Warlock closed his eyes, pushing out the worry and panic from within. He fixated on his powers, feeling the Light flow through his entire being. A surge of powerful energy snapped within his body, and electricity flew out of his hands. Alaura's body jerked spastically. After a few seconds, he stopped using the electricity on Alaura, and aimed it at the enemies coming up on Malachi's side.

Malachi yelled out, his voice rich in worry, "Tanis, is she alive?"

Dinklebot scanned his teammate, resulting in nothing. Malachi called his name a few more times, impatiently waiting for a clear answer. Tanis ignored him. Panic only made the situation worse. Tanis performed the makeshift defibrillator on her a few more times, until Dinklebot came up with a positive reading. Tanis IV called out in relief, "She's alive! Her spine is broken, but she's alive."

Jarvis stopped panicking and scanned her another time to make sure they were correct. He floated around, making sure he didn't miss anything important during his scan. His voice came out nearly broken, "How d-do we move her without making it worse?"

"You don't," Dinklebot responded plainly.

Malachi let out a sigh of relief. He got closer to his teammates and ordered, "Ghosts, get the jumpships. We need to get her to that city. There has to be a doctor there." A heavy weight lifted off of his chest and he thought to himself. _We got you, Alaura. We got you._

The ghosts did as they were told and transported the guardians to the other city. They teleported them down to the ground once the jumpships hovered over the middle of the city, giving them the prime spot to find some help.

Malachi instantly scooped Alaura up in his arms and ran through the street screaming, "We need a doctor!"

"Everyone needs to evacuate! Head to Earth!" Tanis hollered as loud as he could. People in the buildings around him started to move faster towards their homes to evacuate. Tanis called the warning out a few more times, until he noticed Echo IX standing there, staring out at the tall buildings in the city. The Hunter's hand balled into a fist and shook lightly. Tanis reached out to touch his shoulder and questioned, "Echo, are you okay?"

Echo instinctively peered down at the ground. He failed to come up with a response. Tanis stood in front of him, trying to catch his attention. He wasn't sure on what he could do to help, or how to feel about the situation. Tanis hadn't lost anything before this, according to his memory. The only thing he could come up with was, "I'm sorry about your family."

Echo IX reached out and hugged him. Tanis hesitated for a second, weirded out by the sudden action. He couldn't remember the last time he hugged somebody. The situation was there in the back of his mind, and the feeling of returning the hug felt so familiar. Echo backed away, causing Tanis to snap out of his memory search. Tanis glanced over to the way his teammates went, then back to the Hunter. "Get to Earth. We'll take it from here."

The two parted ways, allowing Tanis to spread the warning throughout the town. By the time he found Malachi, ten minutes had passed. Malachi stared from behind a glass window at a doctor performing surgery in the operation room. His helmet was off to the side on a chair. He ran a hand down his mouth stressfully, grazing through the stubble growing on his chin.

A metaphorical heavy weight dropped right onto Tanis' chest plate. His blue optics flickered between the operation and his worried teammate. Malachi didn't look too happy, which didn't mean anything good. Tanis stood next to him, taking a pause before he asked quietly, "Is she going to be all right?"

Malachi refused to think about the reality of the situation. The possibilities were endless. Most ended up in a negative manner. Death. Paralysis. Losing limbs. He gulped, internally hoping that golden age technology was advanced enough to help. Malachi cleared his throat, "We need to help evacuate the city."

"What abo-"

Malachi cut him off stressfully, "We're more useful _out there_ than we are _in here_. It's what Alaura would've wanted." He pushed passed Tanis and headed out the door. Tanis put his hands up in confusing, portraying the emotion since he couldn't express it facially. He followed after his teammate to help the citizens of the last city on Mercury.


	27. Wreckage

Golden Age technology never ceased to amaze Tanis. He caught the doctor performing the end of the surgery and watched from there. Alaura floated above an operating table, allowing the doctor to move her effortlessly. The tools she used on Alaura were small, and had functions Tanis couldn't even name.

When the operation came to a close, the boys helped put Alaura onto a bed, where she now lay. A purple, weightless, shimmering field formed above her; a hologram display popped up next to the bed, showing her vitals. The doctor stepped out to take a breath and wash up, leaving the boys to sit there, waiting patiently in the warm colored room for a few minutes. They chatted, laughed, and made jokes about different things to lighten the mood.

"Do you ever wonder why we're here?" Tanis changed the light conversation to a more realistic one. What Echo said about memory wipes the other day stuck with him, burying into his mind. What were his teammates hiding, and why wouldn't they tell him? A sense of isolation and near abandonment settled in his system. Those feelings felt so familiar, but he couldn't place his finger on what it meant, and that only frustrated him more.

Malachi glanced over at Alaura to see if she had moved. Nada. Jarvis rested on the side table, staring at his guardian, lost in thought. Macey rested in his lap with her eye closed, silently listening to their conversation. Dinklebot hung on Tanis' shoulder, without a doubt whispering things to him in his mind. The question bounced off the walls of Malachi's mind as he mulled it over. _Why are we here?_

After everything the fireteam had gone through, he still wasn't sure. It all brought up more questions and no answers. Were they the chosen ones? Were there more people that could wield the Light? Were they destined to bring balance to the force? The last one made Malachi's mouth twitch up into a smile. Nonetheless, were they supposed to end The Darkness once and for all? Or did The Traveler send them to the future based on false hope?

He finally decided to reply, "To be honest, Tanis, I have no clue. All I know is that I could've killed you two when we first met, but something nagged me not to. That's how we ended up here."

Tanis pondered it for a moment. The galaxy was so vast and full of potential knowledge! His knowledge was miniscule compared to what's out there. He yearned to find it all, but something tethered him with his team. Dinklebot explained it was the Light and The Traveler's will. It sounded plausible, but was his potential truly destined to be wasted here, battling at the end of humanity with people that held back a huge secret from him? "Do you think we're making real a difference?"

"Yes. That's what Alaura's been adamant about. You thought the same thing once."

"I didn't ask about our opinions. What about you?" Tanis pointed out.

"I used to think that the whole world could burn, and I wouldn't give a damn." He ran his tongue over his lips and stared blankly in front of him. He mindlessly played with his throwing knife, running his fingers over the smooth back edge. "Your guys' passion and drive to save humanity rubbed off on me. Some don't deserve to be saved, but that shouldn't condemn all of them. I think we're making a difference, even if it is a small one," he replied, not fully believing those words as they left his mouth.

If Tanis could smile, now was the time he wanted to the most. He'd seen Malachi at his worst, and watching him change overtime into this person was incredibly inspiring. "I'll tell Alaura that when she wakes up."

Malachi groaned, throwing his head back, "She'll never let me hear the end of it."

Tanis patted his shoulder and stood up. "I'm going to talk to the doctor before she leaves." Letting someone with so much information about Golden Age technology leave without speaking to them was a wasted opportunity. He hurriedly walked out of the room, his circuits sparking off in excitement.

As he sat there in silence, Malachi put the throwing knife away and his mind wandered. Humanity did nothing for him except for take, take, and take. Even if the fireteam was making a dent of a difference, he simply didn't care as much as he should. It discouraged him, until his mind came up with a separate point.

All that mattered to him now was his team. They were his drive to keep fighting. They would do anything in their power to stop the extinction event; someone had to keep _them_ alive. If he told Tanis that instead, he feared the Warlock would've seen him as a selfish man latching onto the only hope left at a happy life.

Deep down, that's what he was. He fought with himself to keep up that exterior of hope and change, despite his shortcomings.

These two people, one fighting for justice and the other for knowledge, were Malachi's new dream. Not that he'd admit that out loud, of course. When his life flashed before his eyes and he saw the fireteam at the bar, that was it. That's what he wanted so desperately. People to love and have a good time with. Maybe it could be like that.

One day.

His mind flipped a switch when he subconsciously glanced over at the sleeping Titan. Saving Alaura allowed Malachi to feel some closure. The guilt he felt for not being able to save his sister twisted his heart to the point where he couldn't feel any emotions other than anger and agony. Now, he could breathe without that weight on his chest. A piece of him felt at peace. _Maybe I've even made Macey proud…wherever she may be._

Malachi hesitantly reached through the purple field of shimmering dust. His hand moved regularly, as if the dust wasn't there. He set his hand gently on top of Alaura's warm hand, rubbing his thumb in circles on the back of it.

Jarvis watched him, his eye flickering back and forth between him and his guardian, but remained silent. Macey thought to herself, yet her thoughts spilled over into Malachi's mind on accident. _She might not be able to fight again._

Worry formed in a tight knot in his stomach, for he knew his ghost might be right. If Alaura couldn't fight again, her recovery wouldn't be possible. She'd disobey and make her injuries worse. There was no stopping her from her mission. Malachi knew that much. He'd be forced to watch her run herself into the ground.

Malachi flinched away from the thought and leaned back in his chair. He rested his hand on the armrest, and set his head on top of his hand. He hummed to himself, much like his sister used to in order to calm him down.

The Hunter waited there for hours, drifting in and out of slumber. Tanis IV had made a mad dash for the library to get his hands on anything that was still in tact. Malachi kept tabs on him via comms every time he woke up. Alaura hadn't moved an inch, so he lazily sighed, moving his thumb on her hand until he succumbed to sleep.

Alaura groaned, shaking Malachi out of his slumber. He jerked his hand from hers and sat up, startling Macey in the process. The little ghost floated upwards, searching frantically around the room for enemies until she comprehended the situation. Malachi rubbed his eyes tiredly. He waited for Alaura to open her red eyes before speaking, "Hey, you're awake." _Macey, tell Dinklebot that they need to come back now._

She glanced around and blinked many times, trying to get an understanding on where she was. Her mind clouded over, causing her to furrow her eyebrows as the burning pain settled in. "Y-yeah…"

"I'm gla-" Malachi caught himself and quickly corrected his statement, "We're glad you're okay."

"That's the understatement of the year. I'm ecstatic that you're alive!" Jarvis exclaimed joyfully, rising up from the table to snuggle up against Alaura's shoulder. His black shell twirled a few times and his eye focused on his guardian.

One side of Alaura's lips twitched upwards. Her hoarse voice disappeared when she cleared her throat. "You guys aren't going to get rid of me that easily." Her smile immediately fell as she thought back to what had happened. "Did you evacuate everyone? What happened?"

"We evacuated as many as we could."

"Are you guys okay? Did something happen after I…?" she trailed off, staring at nothing in particular. Her eyes focused on the purple shimmering dust floating above her, and she subconsciously reached up to touch it weakly, only to ghost right through it.

"You almost died, and here you are worrying about us." Malachi laughed bitterly and sighed. "We're fine. We need to focus on your recovery."

"Without you two, I have no team. Of course I worry."

Her words made him smile softly, "I can assure you, we are fine."

Alaura nodded a bit and attempted to sit up. Malachi put a hand on her shoulder, gently urging her to lay back down. She grimaced from the pain soaring up her back and complied. "Please tell me you made the Vex that did this suffer."

What was he supposed to do? Tell her the truth? Would that make her feel any better? Malachi stopped himself, for he found it easier to lie, "Screamed all the way down to hell."

Minutes passed before Tanis IV arrived in a rather giddy mood, with Dinklebot following close behind. Malachi nodded towards him, knowing he was the happiest Exo  on the planet, albeit the only one. "What did the doctor say, Tanis?"

Tanis sat in a chair on the other side of Alaura. He greeted her as warmly, even though bitterness bottled up inside of him. "She said the pain won't go away for a while. She pieced bits of your ribcage back together. Your spine had been fractured. The only thing that'll hurt you the most are the third degree burns you've got on your torso."

"At least there's some good news," Alaura sighed contently.

Malachi sat up straighter, eyes widening a bit in awe. "If we were back home, you would've been paralyzed, or dead. I guess Golden Age technology pays off."

Back home. What was it like back home? Another unanswered question, given to him by Tanis' lack of memory. He pushed passed the stirring anger and explained, "She also recommends not pushing yourself."

"As if that's possible," Malachi grumbled lowly. Alaura glanced over at him, not to glare, but to try to see what he was thinking. He knew her too well if he came to that conclusion so quickly. Malachi turned his attention to Tanis and changed the subject, "What did you find out at the library?"

Tanis almost jumped out of his chair in excitement, but quickly decided to tone it down. _If they want to know more, they'll ask._ "Golden Age technology schematics, how they utilize the Light to give them power, that kind of thing. I went on a hunt for books about Exos, but hardly found anything." Tanis watched as the other two guardians side-glanced at each other in silence. _They're definitely hiding something from me._

Dinklebot swooped in to save the conversation, "I hate to interrupt, but you three have a job to do. There are reports of Hive taking over the moon."

Macey cut in quickly, projecting the words on the wall, "If there's no one on the moon, why should we care?"

"Once they establish a base, they could hit the Last City on Earth. More importantly, there are mining systems on the moon that were abandoned some time ago. Installed there is an orbital defense grid to fend off meteorites in the moon's path. We can power it back up and use it against the Hive." Dinklebot looked around at the guardians and fellow ghosts. No one moved. "Reports say it isn't that many Hive, so it'll be an easy take out."

"Alaura needs to heal. We almost lost her. It can wait," Jarvis answered resolutely. There was no way he'd agree to this.

The Warlock looked at Alaura and piped up, "Malachi and I will go. We'll update you when we come back."

"No, we go as a team." Alaura sat up as much as she could and almost forced herself out of bed. Her body ached, and the skin on her chest burned as the shirt brushed up against it. She cringed, but still stood her ground.

Tanis tilted his head in confusion and waved his hands from side-to-side in a _no way_ fashion. "You broke bones. You could've  _died_!"

"But I'm not dead. I know the price we pay for war, and today we didn't have to pay. I'm thankful for that." Alaura didn't instinctively reach for Kai's dogtags that were around her neck. Instead, she glanced down at the ground, feeling a heavy weight of survivor's guilt in her heart. She lowered her voice, attempting to cover up the waver in it,  "I'm not letting you two go alone."

"We'll only survey," Tanis offered, yearning to go to the moon.  Imagine all that golden age technology just sitting up there, waiting to be used. It could lead to new information, or spring an idea to create something else! Alaura never answered, and stared at Tanis with a stern expression.

He deflated, leaning against the wall behind him in defeat. Something sparked within his mind, causing him to suddenly not want to argue anymore. A vague feeling of hatred for arguing spurred in his system, and he relentlessly questioned why. Tanis turned to Malachi, almost in surprise, "You aren't going to say anything? I'm surprised you haven't considering you're always the first to jump in."

The Hunter shrugged. He knew this was coming; there was no way to stop it. "I knew she wasn't going to back down. I'd be worried about her if she _did_." It was just who she was as a person. There were moments where she gave up, but if she had an opportunity to do something, especially to save lives, she would in a heartbeat. Malachi peered at A pointedly, "You're going to be behind us at _all_ times."

Alaura nodded in agreement, contemplating his words. Either Malachi was actually starting to care, or she had imagined him saying that. It was a nice change of events, considering how much he practically despised them in the beginning. He had come a long way, and was in it for the long haul.

Tanis watched his friends get up and gather their things. Alaura got up slowly, stretching her limbs before making any major movements. Malachi waited on the sideline in case Alaura needed help. Tanis turned away and headed to the jumpships, which the ghosts went to retrieve.

A gnawing emotion tore its way through the Warlock's chest; he began to question his so called _friends_ , and if he cared about them as much as he did before. Were they going to tell him their secret? Would he ever find out the truth? How could he call them friends if they wiped his memory?

The three guardians set on their way to the moon using hyperdrive. They sat back, relaxing, until they were jerked out of hyperspace. The ships stopped in front of what appeared to be an asteroid field upon first glance. When they focused in on the objects floating around, reality smacked them upside their heads.

They sat before a field of ship debris and mangled bodies. Body parts were frosted over and slowly spinning within the vacuum of space. Some shattered Hive ships intermingled within the regular debris, hanging within the space graveyard. The stars still twinkled brightly, putting on one last show for the souls that were lost. A heavy weight of emotions sparked off within the guardians. There were always casualties of war. They just didn't think they'd come across it out in space.

Malachi furrowed his brow and whispered, "What the hell…?"

"All of them are…" Tanis trailed off, not wanting to state the obvious.

Alaura closed her eyes for a brief moment, memories flooding her mind. She remembered back to when Tanis relentlessly questioned about what happened after she had turned Awoken. "You want to know what it looked like between the Light and the Dark, Tanis? This is only half of the picture," she stated bitterly, forcing the words out of her throat.

The other guardians stayed silent. The ghosts took over the controls and maneuvered the fireteam through the wreckage to get to the moon safely.


	28. Massacre

Tanis IV bounced back and forth, stretching his fingers in sheer excitement. His mind raced with sheer possibilities and wonder for Golden Age technology. All three ghosts scanned the system and maneuvered passed firewalls to reactivate the orbital defense system. Dinklebot whispered things in Tanis' mind. Data from the company, system information on how the tech worked, and so on.

The mining colony they were in had been abandoned for a while. Smells of spilled oils, rust, and a certain scent from the rocky landscape mixed together in the air. Malachi leaned against the wall, flipping his pocketknife while watching the ghosts work their magic. Alaura patrolled the entrance back and forth, restlessly surveying the area.

The ground shook for a moment, and a loud noise vibrated off the walls. A few generators stirred and woke up from their slumber to start pumping out power again. Macey twirled her blue shell and projected, "The orbital system is back online."

"Thank you, ghosts. Maybe this place can become a safe haven one day…" Alaura trailed off. She let her arms fall, allowing the tip of her weapon scrape against the ground for a second. She peered over at Jarvis and reached out towards him, beckoning him to come back. He bobbed happily, rubbing against her hand before he dematerialized into her armor. Having him close comforted Alaura.

Malachi picked up on his teammate's hopefulness, even though he couldn't see her expression. Macey around Malachi's head and stayed in place over his shoulder like a guardian angel. He put the knife back in his pocket and walked towards the entrance.

"The nest isn't far from here," Dinklebot reported simply. The guardians exited the building onto the moon's landscape.

The Earth's moon had changed when the Traveler arrived. A gravity similar to Earth's had set in the atmosphere, disappointing the guardians greatly. Mimicking the first moon landing would've been a fun activity. The small colony was the only thing present on the moon for miles on end. The rocky landscape was rough and gray, everything that the guardians expected on their trip here.

After a few minutes, they managed to find the location of the nest. The guardians knelt down inside of a crater, staring at the newly built Hive temple entrance below. Malachi took out his sniper rifle, setting it against the ground to steady it. He closed one eye and zoomed in on the temple. Two knights patrolled around the entrance, listening to the environment around them for any movements. He set the gun down and reported, "Two knights. We can take them easily."

Dinklebot spoke up, "There shouldn't be many more inside."

"Are you kidding? They've built a temple entrance already. Who knows how many of them are down there," Alaura pointed out. She stood up and peered back in the direction they came. "Without knowing the area, it becomes twice as dangerous. There are too many unknown variables. We should go. Tanis said we'd only survey. If more come, they'll be taken out."

" _You're_ giving up? Unbelievable," Tanis scoffed. He looked over at his teammates and motioned different things in a helpless fashion. He yearned to express his dissatisfaction accordingly, but failed to come up with how. "I trust Dinklebot. We can take them out and learn from what's left behind."

Malachi locked the sniper rifle in place on his back as he processed Tanis' words. He grimaced, a tinge of pain forming in his chest. "So, what? You don't trust _us_?"

"I never stated that."

"It sure sounds like it," the Hunter replied bitterly. His brain hinted at not wanting to feel attached to anything. _Returning to my old state of life might do me some good… Being emotionless is so much better than experiencing pain… No. Stop._

Tanis shook his head. "Hive can teleport into anywhere they desire. Yes, they'll be shot down if they're in the air. In there, those troops are trapped. But if they dig the tunnel large enough to teleport in a tomb ship? It's game over. They'll infest this place."

Tanis turned back to the temple in contemplation. Even with the orbital defense grid, the future state of the moon was at stake here. _Why not just take them out now?_

_We need to take them out. If Alaura won't come, so be it._

_As if she's going to accept that, Dinklebot._ Tanis nearly rolled his eyes. He could hear Malachi and Alaura discussing the situation, but he was so lost in the depths of his own mind processes to comprehend what they were saying specifically.

Dinklebot hummed for a moment before replying in Tanis' mind. _She doesn't have to._

"Let's go." Alaura's command broke Tanis out of his private conversation.

He turned around, almost resolute in his decision. A small portion of his mind attempted to talk him out of it, but his body pushed on as if it were second nature to do this. Tanis walked up behind the guardians heading towards the ship and quickly wrapped his arm around Alaura's neck, forcing her into a chokehold.

The Titan stumbled backwards, confused for the first few seconds on what was really going on. She forcefully turned her head towards Tanis, and attempted to throw him down onto the ground. The Warlock's senses kicked in and countered her attack, forcing her into a position where she couldn't move. Alaura struggled, her blue face turning red as she gasped for air.

By that time, Malachi noticed, whipped around, and went to her aid. He grabbed onto Tanis' arm and pulled the other way, but the arm was locked in position. "Tanis! Buddy!" The Hunter swept his leg against Tanis', but the Exo hardly budged. Malachi's mind buzzed with ideas, but by then, Alaura had fallen silent. "What the _hell_ is wrong with you? One second, you're worried about her, and the next you're choking her out?" Malachi put his hand close to his hand cannon in case Tanis had lost his mind.

Tanis IV carefully set Alaura onto the ground, the rocks crunched and scratched against her armor. He stared down at her for a moment before glancing at his own two hands. "I…" he slowly flipped his hands back and forth as he trailed off. _Buddy? Who does he think he is calling me that? They're liars! Liars!_ Tanis screamed in his mind. His right hand clenched into a fist as he peered up at his teammate with a new sense of determination. "Dinklebot was right. She doesn't need to come with us. We have to take the Hive out ourselves, Malachi."

Malachi stepped closer, his hand still hovering near the holster of his weapon. His brown eyes narrowed and stared Tanis down, searching for any movements resembling regret. Tanis stood stiffly; reading a robot certainly wouldn't give away clues. Malachi nodded towards Tanis, "And did Dinklebot tell you to do this?"

"W-what? No. No." Tanis pushed his finger against his chest plate. "I did this on _my_ own accord. Now, are you in, or not? I'm going with or without you."

Malachi's stomach churned. _This kid was so innocent when we first met. What happened?_ He grimaced at the memory and lowered his gaze. _We ripped his identity from him. His memory is gone. That's why._ Even if Tanis' action was bad, his reasoning had some truth, and there was no way in hell he was going to let him go alone. "I'm in. But just so you know, she's going to kill you when she wakes up."

"I know. I had to do it. Alaura would only hold us back."

The Hunter glimpsed longingly at Alaura as she lay on the ground. His brain shut off his emotions to think objectively. "She's safer out here. You're right." Malachi looked at Tanis, pointing his finger at him as he declared sternly, "If you tell Alaura I said that, I'll deny it." He paused, then continued, "Jarvis, can you…phase her, or something, into the ship?"

Jarvis grumbled to himself and talked with the other two ghosts telepathically. Dinklebot fought back while Macey listened in on what was happening. Jarvis transmatted his guardian back into her ship for safety.

"Let's go before she wakes up," Tanis said as he hopped up out of the crater. Malachi grabbed his gun and peered at his teammate warily, yet followed him anyway.

The two guardians jumped into the air. Malachi double jumped, giving himself enough time to throw a knife at one of the knights. The knife laded in the side of its flat crowned head. Bullets rained down on the Hive guards, causing them to scream out in their guttural voices. Malachi winced when he crashed onto the ground, still not used to jumping that high. Tanis glided to the ground gracefully as the last knight crumbled. The two exchanged a glance before stepping foot into the temple.

The first large area was carved out presumably by hand. Sharp ridges and bulbous rock chunks clung to the wall. The foul stench of hot, one week old road kill filled Malachi's nostrils, causing him to gag for a second. Macey and Dinklebot lit up the area with their flashlights, revealing bones hidden within the darkest corners. The darkness seemed heavy in the room, sending the guardians a horrible feeling. Their hands coiled around their primary weapons.

Macey flew around and scanned the place with a bright blue grid. She communicated with Dinklebot telepathically, allowing him to create a response to their guardians, "The scan runs deep into the moon. The Hive must've gotten here earlier than what the reports say."

Malachi pondered the report for a moment. _Maybe we should head back._ This whole event slowly got worse, and Pandora's box would open soon enough if they kept going. Macey read his mind; she rapidly bobbed up and down to indicate her agreement. "This isn't a good idea, Tanis."

Bitterness filled Tanis' voice, "Then leave. I'll meet you guys back at The Traveler." He moved the bottom of his robe out of the way so he wouldn't trip and surged forward. Nothing would stop him from his mission. To learn from such creatures who could pass between dimensions seemed like a dream. Learning about The Traveler's technology and how the light lived through everything fascinated him even more. This wasn't just an annihilation of the Hive mission. Tanis was on the hunt for knowledge.

Malachi cursed under his breath as he followed Tanis further down into the temple. They ventured through one narrow tunnel after another. Slowly, but surely, a small stench of rotting flesh wafted through the air. The further they went down into the cavern, the stronger the smell became. Malachi grimaced and twitched his nose. _I wish I could turn my sense of smell off. Jesus._

The deeper they walked, the more detached from the Light Tanis felt. The Light within him strained to keep up within The Darkness, becoming confined into a tight box within his chest. He flinched at the pressure building up; he glanced at Dinklebot for a quick second. _If our connection to the Light was shut off, the ghosts would fall lifeless…right? Or are they just robots with special abilities?_ Tanis shook his head and marched forward with confidence. _Don't answer that, Dinklebot._

A crunching noise pervaded the air, causing Tanis to motion for Malachi to stop. He stepped into the next large area, glancing around in the dark. He moved silently, like a ninja in the night, to see what was going on. He moved closer to the right side, closing in on what appeared to be a pile of bones. Thrall were on their hands and knees, gnawing on the bones like a pack of wolves.

Malachi rested a hand on Tanis' shoulder, a hand cannon equipped in his other. He tipped the gun forward, aiming it at one of the thrall. Tanis nodded and followed suit, focusing in on his scout rifle's scope. Shots rang out, slaughtering the thrall before they could even stand. More erupted from the other side of the pile, but couldn't get close enough to do any damage. Bullets lodged themselves in the thrall's heads, making them crumble into tiny ash-like flecks.

"You and I make a great team, Tanis," Malachi commented, smirking to himself. He reloaded his hand cannon and flipped the chamber.

Tanis nodded, still peeved about the whole memory situation. He moved forward, leaving Malachi questioning what was wrong. Tanis put a new clip into his weapon, clicking it into place. The Light constricted in his chest even tighter, making him beckon air into his non-existing lungs. He clutched onto his weapon and pushed on, knowing that if he put his mind to something, the pain would eventually wear off.

Darkness hung heavy in the next tunnel. It was so thick that the ghost's flashlight barely revealed what was in front of them. Malachi placed his hand along the wall to make sure he wouldn't step out into the unknown. His Light coiled into a knot, but he forced the pain out with his mind. "Tanis-"

"Shh…do you hear that?" Tanis cut him off and listened to the environment. "There's something at the end."

Famous last words, as Malachi would say.

The Darkness lifted once the guardians exited the tunnel, revealing at least a hundred members of the Hive. They knelt before a towering glowing being. The being's head formed a giant crown on the top, jutting above and beyond that of a regular knight's. Sharp plates were placed on its shoulders, and its whole skeletal armor glowed green. It held a massive sword made of what appeared to be sharpened bone. Its three eyes locked onto the two guardians, menacing and full of power.

"Crota…" Tanis whispered to himself in disbelief. He stared up at the Hive God, eyes wide in fear and wonder. " _The Eater of Hope_. This is what Jarvis was talking about!" Regret and fear swirled up in his circuits as he slowly backed away.

Dinklebot flew around, accidentally flashing Tanis in the face with the flashlight. He worriedly stressed, "You two _need_ to get out of here. _Now_! We were unprepared for Omnigul. This? This is a _thousand times worse_." He mumbled to himself, "I was wrong to bring you two down here…"

The two guardians turned around, only to see an army of Hive spawning in. Wizards, knights, acolytes, thrall…They were surrounded and confined in a room of death with a powerful god.

 

Static scratched Alaura's ears, echoing off of the walls of her helmet. Bits and pieces of yelling and signals were thrown about; there was too much interference to get a full picture of what was happening. Alaura's fingers clawed at the ground as she gathered her bearings, her eyesight disoriented and watery. A cough burst from deep within her chest, causing her neck to tingle from the soreness.

Jarvis scanned his guardian with a blue beam, twirling his black shell as he did. His blue eye stared at her in content. "Scans say you're well…which is a relief."

"How-" Alaura's voice came out scratchy, causing her to flinch. She cleared her throat to the best of her ability. "How far into the temple are they?"

"…Pretty far. It isn't safe down there for you, Alaura."

She stared down at her assault rifle; her eyebrows knit together slowly as she contemplated. She was still healing, but if her team was in danger, it didn't matter. She refrained herself from sighing and acknowledged, "I know, but I can't just leave them down there."

Jarvis teleported her from the ship to the temple entrance. He tried to contact the other ghosts, but nothing except static came back. "You cannot run towards danger and expect to be all right. You are going to do this, but how is this tactically advantageous for you?"

"It isn't until I see what we're up against." The yelling over comms got louder, and quickly cut out. Alaura broke out into a sprint into the temple, making sure she didn't trip on anything.

Jarvis lit up the dark area with his light. He replied rather sarcastically, "From the sound of it, it's one difficult party."

Worry built up in Alaura's system. She put her weapon up, ready for any oncoming attack. "And you're trusting them to get back in one piece?"

The ghost strained his British accent in disbelief, "Is this really a question? Do _you_ trust them to do that?"

"I-" Alaura paused in hesitation. Thoughts sped through her mind like cars on a highway. There were too many possibilities for fatal crashes. She continued, "I'm not going to take that risk."

The screaming and yelling over comms became louder as she got closer through the narrow tunnels. All of it motivated Alaura to move as fast as she could. One second could mean the difference between life and death.

Oh, how precious life was.

The chaotic yelling became crystal clear as she neared the giant room. Tanis panicked and called out for help. Thrall screeched, and the booms of knight's ammunition were in the background. A few wizards screamed, their magic blasts echoing through the room. Tanis yelled out for Dinklebot to aid him in teleporting. Malachi beckoned Tanis to join him.

When the dark veil in the air dropped, Alaura's heart sank.

Tanis squealed and cried out in sheer pain. Crota's sword forced its way through the guardian's metal chest. Oil spilled out and onto the sword, drenching the Hive God's hand. Crota's bright green beady eyes watched as Tanis' life faded away, and a grin settled on the creature's face. It threw Tanis' body aside, allowing the exo's body to fall lifeless onto the ground.


	29. Eater of Hope

Malachi screamed out for his friend. He fired his heavy machine gun, tears streaming down his face. The bullets pierced through a few knights and wizards around the room. He aimed for the big ones. The acolyte and thrall were next on his agenda. Crota watched, a devil-made smirk on his mouth. He laughed, mocking the small guardians below.

Alaura burst into action, shouting as many enemies as she could. Acolytes fell one-by-one until they all scattered across the room. All the commotion boomed in her ears. Adrenaline pumped through her system, causing her body to want to instinctively flee. She fought against it, allowing the natural drug to keep her body alert and distract her mind from her injury.

Anger boiled in Alaura's veins, yet she couldn't feel her heart. Was it even beating? Had it finally turned into dust? Had her heart stayed shattered from events prior? Her stomach dropped; she couldn't yell Tanis' name, much less utter it. _He's not dead. No. Not him too._ She thought to herself to keep her head on straight.

"Alaura!" Malachi called out, stifling a broken sob. He sniffled and blinked repeatedly to clear his teary vision. "What are you doing? Get out of here!" He threw a knife at the pack of thrall swarming his way, taking one down in the process. _I can't lose you too._ Malachi panicked when the thrall crowded around him, clawing at his armor every which way. He chucked a grenade at the ground; it created a smoke screen, turning Malachi invisible to the Hive. _What the…?_

 _The Darkness!_ Macey nearly screamed into Malachi's mind. She focused on the chaos too, making sure she wouldn't get him killed in the process of her explanation. _You are surrounded by darkness. Use it to your advantage and conjure it up from your core. The Light will help set you free._

"I-" Malachi paused as he watched the smoke screen form around him. Screaming, screeching, yelling, the whole room sounded like Satan released Hell on Earth, or, well, the moon. His mind clouded, causing him to react slowly. _Tanis is gone…Gone. That kid that was once full of life, yet so much hatred? Gone. Slaughtered by some alien god. And for what? Fighting for what's right? Fighting to keep humanity alive? He's dead. DEAD. But...I can save Alaura while there's still time._ The eye of the storm of agony that swirled inside of him remained calm; he pushed his focus on that. "I will."

"-Are you listening to me? Malachi!"

"What?"

"We're going to do _Bounding Overwatch_ -" Alaura hesitated and blinked for a split second. Malachi had no idea what that was. She punched a thrall in the face, electrifying it to death. "The rocks! Get behind the rocks and cover me." She moved up on her side, steadily aiming for the best trajectory to get to Tanis. Bullets shot into the ground behind her, quickly catching up to her, until she rolled behind a boulder. She waved over to Malachi, calling out over the thunderous chorus of screams. "Your turn! I have your back."

Malachi dove out from behind the rock and ran to the next possible cover. He jumped briefly, dodging a few bullets along the way. His heart thumped against his chest, threatening to burst out at any given moment. He focused on the rock, not noticing the acolyte on his side. The creatures shot him in the shoulder. Biting back the sudden jolt of pain, he slid behind cover, brushing up dust and other particles from the floor. "What happened to covering me?"

The Titan reloaded her assault rifle and ducked behind cover. She scoffed, noticing his mockery and jokes were just a defense system. Alaura's stomach twisted. _Maybe he's reverting back to closing off his feelings…I like the way he is now, though._ She played along, but on a more serious note, "Don't run into the fire then. We have to take what we can get. A few bullets is better than death." She exhaled deeply, prepping herself for the next run. "Repeat."

Alaura darted out, leaving Malachi to cover her. He fired his hand cannon one, two, three times, taking down a knight. Wizards were much more difficult, but the faster he shot, the more Hive fell. He licked the sweat off of his lips and pushed the next few statements out to get them off of his chest, "Look, Alaura…I'm sorry Tanis knocked you out like that. If you were here, the poor kid wouldn't've…" He trailed off, but continued shooting until he ran out of primary ammo.

"Apology will be accepted once we all get out of here _alive_." _Tanis isn't dead. He can't be. He's a robot now. There's gotta be a way to repair him…right?_ She grabbed an acolyte by the neck, using him as a shield from oncoming fire. The acolyte screeched as it got hit, each bullet piercing through its bony structure. When it disintegrated, Alaura ducked down.

While the two remaining guardians played leapfrog, Dinklebot stared down blankly at his fallen guardian. Tanis' body had crumpled onto the ground, limbs twisted in different directions. The Light that was one inside him had been ripped out in its entirety. "I-is there a way…?" The white-shelled ghost stopped in its tracks, his voice broken by the horrible guilt and sorrow it felt. "I didn't know a wielder of the Light could die. We presumed so, but it's always so much more different experiencing it."

The fight around them seemed to happen in slow motion. Alaura's primary gun ran out of ammo, so to save time, she threw it onto her back and equipped her sidearm. The bullets inched through the air, slowly making their way towards the faces of some Hive. The thrall attempted to get close enough to claw the hell out of her armor, their thin limbs flying through the air. The wizards floated, throwing their hands out, about to cast some Hive magic on the guardians. Knights aimed their guns towards the heroes, firing the big blasters. Acolytes scattered, shooting their guns from all around the room.

Malachi jumped up into the air, channeling the Darkness around him with Macey's aid. A purple glow emanated off of him; a bright void bow and arrow formed in his hands. He glanced down at it in confusion for a split second, but quickly grasped the situation at hand. He launched an arrow right at Crota's feet. The arrow exploded into void light, tethering Crota and the surrounding Hive in their place. Dinklebot couldn't see the Hunter's expression, but he was one hundred percent positive that a satisfied grin began to form on his lips.

Had The Traveler slowed time down so he could have one last moment? Or had it sped his processes up? At this point, the ghost was grateful to have a sliver of time.

"The Traveler told us that we'd only be able to bring back our guardian one time." Dinklebot sighed. The fact that they were mere prototypes didn't help at all. What was the Traveler's plan? Were they to be cast off once the ghosts were perfected? Would they be shut off? The ghost released those questions from his mind and focused on one thing.

One of them must ascend from the Dark.

The other must descend from the Light.

A heavy weight set itself onto the small ghost. He's the one that did this. He put his guardian into this situation. Now, he must pay the price. "In these dark times, remember me as a dear friend, not a ghost who should only care about you because I was assigned. We understood each other so much differently than the others do…"

The battle raged on in its slow fashion. A mass of green and black light formed behind the two guardians, allowing three golden knights with tooth-edged swords to spawn in. They ran straight towards the wielders of the Light and lashed out at them. Surprised, both guardians jumped up, but only ended up in a crowd of thrall and acolyte.

Dinklebot peered back at his broken guardian, his eye dimming from sadness. "I haven't even opened up to the other two ghosts. You were, and always will be, my best friend. But without my guardian, _who am I_? My Light shall become yours. With that, I must take my leave."

Urgency was detected within the other guardians' yelling. Their Light was barely holding in this darkness ridden area. Soon, their shields would deplete, leaving them vulnerable to the inevitable. "I am doing the right thing," the ghost whispered to himself.

With resolution, he casted a strong blue light on Tanis, and deconstructed his own shell into part around a core of Light. "Open yourself to the Light. Glimpse, for a few rapturous moments, the truth beyond the powers you wield. Through this, you can learn to pluck yourself out of nothingness like the phoenix of ancient myth. Goodbye, my guardian."

In a rush of fiery red orange light, Tanis ressurected from his dead form. Large pheonix-like wings stretched out from his back as fire raged on, encompassing his entire body. Noticing all of the new Hive in the room and the screams from his teammates, he chucked hand grenades left and right. Wherever the grenades landed, a ball of fire formed midair and consumed everything around it. Tanis laughed gleefully at his new power, watching the Hive fall to his Light.

"Tanis!" Alaura and Malachi called out simultaneously, their voices raised higher in shock. They ran through the solar fireballs, ignoring the small singeing pain, just to get to their newly revived teammate.

When the fire died out, Tanis exclaimed, "Dinklebot, did you see that?"

Silence met his ears and his mind. No new thoughts. No responses over comms. Tanis' stomach dropped, well, if he had one, and he frantically glimpsed around. There laying on the ground was a white ghost shell. The blue light from its eye had died out, leaving it lifeless.

Tanis yelled out in a mixture sheer panic and pain, "No! No!" He picked up the dead ghost before the Hive could and caressed it against his chest. He ran his fingers over the edges leading up to its eye. _Say something!_ He screamed, louder this time, "Please come back. Dinklebot, please!"

The other two guardians grabbed Tanis by the arms, beckoning him towards the hall they came from. "We got you! Let's go!" They both yelled, urging Tanis to start running. The Hive were closing in, yet the Warlock couldn't care less. His mind was set on the lifeless friend in his hands.

Alaura and Malachi dragged him out of there. Alaura hung back for a second, powering herself up with Jarvis' help. Her entire being glowed an electrifying blue as lightning danced between her fingers. She punched the wall of the hall and pounded her fists against the floor. The whole area shook, throwing the guardians off their balance. The rocks caved in, trapping the Hive in the giant room with their master.

Tanis stared at his fallen ghost the whole way back to the ship. He couldn't help but to think. _This is all my fault._


	30. Worries and Flurries

Alaura rested comfortably in a chair, exhausted from the last battle. Her mind still raced with different thoughts and the aftertaste of adrenaline. The aches in her joints and wounds burned intensely, causing her to scream on the inside. Her fiery eyes locked onto Tanis, who sat on his bed as if nothing happened just an hour earlier. Alaura sighed in frustration, still lacking on a hint of why that ordeal happened in the first place. "What were you two thinking? You could've died. Tanis did die! If I hadn't-"

Malachi cut in sharply, "But we didn't. Okay? You can stop yelling at us like we're _children_." He rested his head back on the wall he leaned against as the sinking feeling of dread kicked around inside of his stomach. _If I dragged Tanis out of there when I said we should turn back, none of this would've happened…_ Malachi thought bitterly to himself. Macey peered up at him from her spot on Tanis' bed, but didn't say anything.

"I'm not talking down to you. I was _worried_. Do you know what I heard when I woke up? Shooting. Yelling. Screams from the Hive. All of it was broken pieces coming through communications, and I couldn't tell if you two were in grave danger or not."

"D…" Tanis paused immediately. His blue optics were stuck on the lifeless ghost shell in his hands. Pure self-hatred rose in his circuits, increasing by the second. His optics failed to rise to look his fellow guardians in the eyes. _He gave his life up for me..._ Agreeing to go into the temple was a horrible mistake. Tanis clenched his fists. "He said we could do it. I believed him. We thought we could handle it."

The muscles in Malachi's body screamed for rest. He allowed his mind to wander as he sunk into a chair on the opposite side of Tanis. Without thinking, he spoke out loud,  "We're trying to save the solar system…but what if we can't? We've lost again, and again. How many more times are we going to lose? What if our efforts are for nothing?"

An undertone of anger seasoned Tanis' words, "We were sent here for a reason: to save humanity. It's our _destiny_." He forced himself to look up at his so-called-friends to see if they noticed what he meant. They remained silent and couldn't even look him in the eye. Were they tired? Defeated? Scared? Worried if Tanis ever found out what they did to him? The Warlock grimaced in his mind, bottling up all of the anger.

A tense silence kicked in. Not even the ghosts uttered a word out loud, or in their guardians' minds. Nothing stirred outside, leaving the land of Earth peaceful for once. Malachi had led them to an old home of his, which had been built over long ago. A huge home sat in its place, probably belonging to somebody important in this abandoned section of the country. Alaura reached up for the dogtags around her neck, yet hesitated for a moment. She clenched her hand and set it back down to her side.

Malachi put his head in his hands. "We are so fucked…" The way he muttered the sentence, so broken and hopeless, sent chills down Alaura's spine. This man wasn't the one to be broken. Hopeless, sure. But broken? It wasn't like him at all.

Alaura sat up straight, pushing down any pain that shot up her ribcage. She instantly shot back in a defiant tone, "So what if we are? This isn't the end of the war. There will always be more fights. There will always be enemies. The Intergalactic Empire is facing death. _Not_ humanity. We are here to save as many as we can." The odds were highly against them, but what difference did that make? They were all going to meet their maker whether they liked it or not. Might as well do something while they still could.

A scoff escaped Malachi's throat before he could stop it, "Always the optimist." He lifted his head and looked over at her, waiting for the bickering to begin.

Jarvis spoke up from behind Alaura, "Someone has to in a time like this." He flew up into the air and rested himself on the bed next to Macey. These guardians were given a purpose. Dinklebot sacrificed himself for his guardian, and by the Traveler's Light, Jarvis was not going to let that go to waste.

" _Why?_ Can't we just grieve in _peace_?" Tanis snapped fiercely.  

Macey quickly jerked up from the bed and shook angrily. She projected onto the white sheets, "You aren't the only one who lost someone today!" All eyes were on Macey. She bobbed in the air for a second after the projection disappeared, then abruptly fled the room. Jarvis glanced around, shell scrunched up in frustration, before chasing after her.

Malachi's dark eyes bounced to Tanis, whose hands shook immensely. He searched his features or body movements for any more indications of anger, but came up with nothing. _Why is he so difficult to read?_ Without putting more effort into it, he questioned in a serious manner, "What's wrong, other than the obvious?"

Where would he even begin? How they betrayed him? The dreams, or whatever the hell they were, engrained into his brain? The pain and anger he wanted to spew out, but couldn't express physically? Tanis didn't want to look at their expressions. All he could stare at was the dead shell in his hands. Bitterness crept inside of him and spilled into his words, "I saw something when I died. A memory." Malachi and Alaura peered at each other with a knowing look plastered on their faces. It made Tanis sick to his nonexistent stomach. "I saw my father. My real one."

Alaura began to come up with some form of justification for what they did, "Tan-"

"I don't want to hear your apologies!" Tanis took a moment to compose himself. His metal fingers scraped against the shell as the memories flooded back to his mind. "I remembered the neglect. The way he ignored me. How I felt isolated from the world. I knew I recognized those feelings somehow…I felt as if I had father issues, but couldn't comprehend why. Now I know."

"We wer-"

Tanis snapped at Malachi, nearly making a sharp biting motion towards him, "I'm not finished." Malachi backed off, sinking down into his chair once more. Tanis let a wave of calm wash over his mind, bringing him back into the realism of his dream. "Then I saw flashes of a war with others like me. Exos. All of us were on our way to a huge tower, but a group of people stood in our way. Friends. Family. People I've seen on the street." He paused for a second. "I think Exos were built for destruction…

"I saw you two in the group of people. I was almost to the tower, but there you were. You pleaded with me to stop and to abandon my journey. When I pulled my gun out and pointed it at Malachi, he froze. He tried to talk me out of it. Alaura…you begged me not to pull the trigger."

Malachi tore his eyes away upon hearing that statement. Was he seeing the future? Some crazy metaphor for what he feels? Did those books put something crazy into his mind? The Hunter's eyes flickered across the room to Alaura, who watched Tanis with wide eyes. Her hand gripped the arm of the chair tightly, as if she knew what it was like to target innocents like that.

"I couldn't control my actions. I helped slaughter all of those people. I was a spectator and someone else controlled my actions…or maybe my internal wiring took over." The Warlock hesitated, his whole rigid body shaking intensely. He shook his head; his voice almost broke with every word, "And I just… _pulled the trigger_. Alaura jumped in front of you and collapsed. Before you could react, I put a round through your skull…"  

Tanis set his head against the dead ghost in his hands. Thoughts jumped from circuit to circuit in his mind. He was a monster meant for destruction. Not only the destruction of his enemies, but anything that stood in his way for…for some greater knowledge. Some common purpose he shared with other Exos. If his ghost would've seen what he did, what would the little light think?

Alaura reached out to set her hand on Tanis' arm, yet he quickly swatted it away.  "Don't touch me! I'm…I'm this way because of you two. If you would have just let me die…"

Malachi leaned forward, eyebrows slowly knitting together as he watched his friend tremble with anger. The Hunter set the record straight, "Alaura wasn't going to let that happen, and I'm glad I listened to her. We wouldn't have been able to achieve a lot of what we've done without you. All those lives are saved because of you."

A shrill broken cry left Tanis' throat, "I'm a _murderer_! Something built for war…" His angry trembling softened. The memories of tears filling his eyes trailed back into his mind. Something inside of him yearned to be able to do that again, express emotions, cry, and a lot more. He wanted to sob right there and then, his body shaking with each breath. Tanis continued in a softer tone, "…and soon, I fear I'll turn against you guys without a second thought. It's in my nature."

Alaura looked away and closed her eyes. In that situation, what would she do? Neutralize him? Let him kill her? Knock him out until they find a better solution? Anything could go wrong. She protested, "Tanis, that won't happen."

"You don't know that for sure."

Tanis wasn't any different from them. Well…they made him that way. Malachi swallowed the first few words he almost said and thought it out before speaking. "Tanis, your teammates are in the same boat. Built for war, but on different battlefields. I used to be a freelancer. Alaura was in the goddamn army. You-"

A switch in his mind changed in an instant. Tanis' head snapped up as he yelled out with a fiery intensity, "I was the innocent one! I had nothing on my conscience! Now? Now I'm forced to. This," he set the ghost shell down and put both of his hands onto his chest, " _this_ is me now. Whatever this shell used to be is dead, but it doesn't erase the protocols, or even the wiring. I could revert back to what this Exo used to be and kill you both."

Alaura couldn't accept that answer. That was Tanis in there. Nothing else. The dream meant nothing. It had to. With all the shit going on around them, what they needed most right now was glue to keep them _together_. This was tearing them _apart_. "This is us you're talking about. You wouldn't do that. We're a team."

"I couldn't stop myself in my dream. Who's to say that won't happen for real?" Tanis shot back, locking eyes with Alaura. She wouldn't give up and he was tired of it.

She began, "Tha-"

Tanis snapped once more, "Just leave me alone…" Letting gravity pull him down, he sunk into his bed. His hands curled around the little ghost shell and brought it to his chest plate as he turned away from his teammates.

Alaura bitterly nodded and got up slowly to leave the room. Malachi followed her side-by-side through the long hallway. He wrung his shaking hands and ran with different scenarios in his mind. _It's better now, rather than too late…We're not going to make it long if we're not a team…_ He thought, and pushed the words out of his throat, "Listen, Alaura…"

She kept walking, eyes glued straight ahead of her. She almost waved her hand in dismissal, but stopped herself. "If this is about the last battle, I don-"

"Just listen, okay?" Malachi took a deep breath as they continued walking. His stomach twisted, and his heart thumped too fast for him to comprehend. _Come on, Malachi, don't overthink this. This is simple. Just say it._ He started forming his feelings into a statement, "I want to say this before shit hits the fan. I…"

Malachi paused when Alaura turned to him. By this time, they had stopped walking and stood in the middle of the hall, not too far apart from one another. Her red eyes locked onto his as she tried to figure out what he was thinking, which only made the hair on his arms stand straight. A flush of red threatened to fill his cheeks, so he quickly sputtered, "I…uh…you are very important to me."

Amused, Alaura half-laughed. A smile tugged at the ends of her pale lips and she arched an eyebrow. "Is this your way of expressing your feelings for someone?"

A heavy weight set itself onto his shoulders. _Was this a mistake? Starting to sound like it…_ He dropped his hands to his side and grimaced. "Come on. Don't laugh."

"Okay, okay. I'm not laughing." The smile remained as she set one hand onto his shoulder. She hesitated, digging down inside of herself to find a respectable answer. The more she thought about it, the more her red eyes darkened and her bright smile turned to pity. "I appreciate your sentiment and would like to expand on it, but we really have to plan our next move."

Taken aback, Malachi narrowed his eyes and huffed, "So that's all you're going to say? I was worried sick about you when you were missing. Then, you got severely injured. You listen to Tanis and his whole spiel for five whole minutes. I finally muster up the courage to tell you about my feelings, and I get _skipped_ over?"

Alaura furrowed her brow at his reaction. She threw her arms out and spat back, "What do you want me to say? I like you back? Our situation sucks? _We can't do anything about it_. This fight is too important. If one of us has to die, we'll do it in a heartbeat. I do like you, Malachi, but I don't want you to hope for something that might not even happen. Our focus should be…"

"All you think about is the fight! The war. The impending doom. Don't you ever think about yourself for once? What happens when we make it out alive?" He yearned to grab her hands and show her how much he cared. It's like she was an open book for him to read, always thinking about the same thing, over and over. She allowed her past to define her and her choices. As much as he was the pessimist here, she was pulling her weight on this subject too. A tinge of pain settled in his stomach. _She fought so hard with Tanis, so why not now?_ "This isn't just about me. It's about you too."

Alaura almost laughed. Something small like feelings would be utterly crushed in battle. Her skin burned hot against the dogtags laying against her chest. " _Humanity_ is on the line here. Our _lives_ are on the line. I'm more worried about the success of the mission than something that can dissolve if one of us were to perish. Don't you understand that? False hope or getting something snatched away from beneath you is heartbreaking."

"You don't think I know that? I've experienced it, Alaura. Why do you think I kept to myself before I got stuck with you guys?"

Even if he was right to think of the hopeful future, that hope she once had for love died. Kai got killed in battle right before her eyes. To face that again would take more internal strength than she had. She closed her eyes and let out a held breath. "You are my teammate. I'm just trying to save one of us from pain."

Malachi uttered, pain now clear in his voice, "You mean _yourself_."

"No."

"Clearly it is. You don't want me to die. You're afraid that this is only a temporary thing." This girl could kick his ass three times over, and he'd still have feelings for her. Opening up like this meant something. Malachi watched her, sadness clear in his brown eyes.

Alaura threw her hands out in frustration and stepped closer to him. "So what if I am? We're losing _everything_ here. I lost my team. Millions of lives are gone. I…" Alaura paused and a disgusted expression took over her features. She motioned to her pale blue skin and red eyes with her hands, and continued, "I look like this… Dinklebot is dead. We're fighting a losing war. How can I not be afraid that the only possibility, other than our trio of friendship, might go down the drain too? If we even live long enough to do something about it…"

Malachi grabbed her shoulders gently, staring at her straight in the eyes, "Don't even say that. All right? If you're going to die in the fight, we all are. You are the best fighter we have! And I like it when you give us orders." He winked. Alaura rolled her eyes and started to walk away, only for Malachi to pull her back. He chuckled softly, lightening up the mood. "I'm kidding! I'm kidding! If you die, it'll be a good day for me to die too."

The smile returned to Alaura's lips. Maybe…maybe it could work after all of this. He seemed dedicated enough. If they worked cohesively, survival was in their favor. The only solution was to take it one day at a time, starting with ending the war. Her red eyes looked into his in a heartfelt way, "Thank you."

"I lost my sister because of my own problem. I was addicted to stealing. To earn money for requests that would make me the most horrible person in this hall…I don't…" Malachi inhaled and released a deep breath, allowing the words to fall right out of his mouth, "…don't make me lose you too."

Alaura hugged him and rested her head on his shoulder. "So in other words, don't do something stupidly dangerous."

He snorted, "Don't do anything I wouldn't do." His arms wrapped around Alaura tighter. The last time he was hugged was…God, the memory wasn't even there. He couldn't remember. Malachi shut his eyes in an attempt to engrain this memory in his mind. She felt comfortable in his arms, and the warmth that radiated from her put a fuzzy feeling in the core of Malachi's chest.

"That's a pretty short list." Both of them laughed for a short moment. Malachi backed up a bit and looked into her eyes. They risked their lives for each other over and over again, and to know it actually meant something to both of them established a comforting atmosphere. They glanced down at each other's lips for a brief moment.

Alaura was the first to break the silence, "Let's go plan some new tactics."

Malachi scratched the back of his neck nervously and nodded. Alaura walked ahead of him as his eyes darted to the ground. The heavy weight lifted off of his chest and he let out a sigh of relief. A small grin plastered itself onto his face before he caught up with her.


	31. Without Stars

Venus never ceased to amaze the fireteam. The green and yellow hues of the jungle shined in the reflection of light bouncing off of the buildings of the Academy. Red clouds slowly rolled into the area, threatening to cut off the radiated beauty. Trees swayed in the warm breeze. The cobblestone courtyard had been cleared half an hour earlier, setting up a clear open shooting range for Alaura to patrol. She kept her assault rifle comfortably close to her, ready to shoot at anything that stepped out of the jungle. "How does it look from up there, Malachi?"

 _An inch to the left._ Malachi calculated as he judged the breeze. All of his shots would have to be placed an inch to the left in order to get it on target. He looked up from his sniper scope and watched his surroundings. The greatest vantage point came from the top of the mountain behind the campus, where he laid in wait. His brown eyes wandered in search of any signs of enemy life, and ended up on the other side of the jungle. He waited a second, then peered down his scope to get a better look. "You want the good news, or the bad news?"

Never a dull moment, that's for sure. "Bad."

"Vex are coming in hot from the right. I'd say five minutes if they keep marching. Less if they teleport," he reported as he stopped staring down the scope.

Jarvis scanned the area in front of them, revealing no life forms. This part of the front deemed clear. He questioned skeptically, "What could possibly be the good news?"

"Most of the city will be out of here by then."

Alaura scrunched her forehead and raised a curious eyebrow. Tanis didn't reply to any of that, so her thoughts drifted onto him. The words left her mouth with a hint of laughter, "Is it bad that I expected to hear something inappropriate be the good news?"

"No. Not at all." The question sparked a half grin to form on Malachi's lips. He maintained watch on the enemies, who seemed to multiply three-fold in the passed minute. "Would you like to hear one?"

A snort escaped from Alaura's nose as she smiled. No surprise there. This man seemed like such a hard-ass at first. Alaura never thought she would ever think otherwise.  But now, he's a predictable softie hiding behind his strong exterior. It was a welcome change. She replied in a half amused manner, "Save it for later. Right now we have to focus. I'm heading in that direction." She turned on her heels and headed for the oncoming enemies. "Tanis, how's your end looking?"

No answer.

They knew Tanis had a hard time coping with everything, but this? Blatantly ignoring them seemed to be a whole new level of anger. Alaura called out once more onto communications, "Tanis?"

"I heard you." His blue optics watched as civilians in the city rushed to the hangars for safe transport off of the planet. Children clung to their parents and sobbed for their lost toys. Items littered the streets from dropped luggage, yet no one stopped to retrieve them. Their safety was on the line. That's all that mattered. Tanis reported back sharply, "The citizens are freaking out, but they're following directions."

In this situation, Tanis' attitude interpreted as unfocused and unprofessional. Alaura completely understood why he got upset. To let him die when the entire universe needed him would have been far worse than the situation they are in now. He needed to accept that. Alaura bit her tongue for a short second before asking, "How much of the city has gone already?"

"More than half. As expected."

Staring down the scope at a certain Vex, Malachi hesitated to actually shoot. Alerting the enemies would only send them into a murderous frenzy. He relaxed his finger off of the trigger. The Vex continued to march onto the city and the Academy as the sky darkened. Malachi looked up, curious to see how dark the red clouds were. "Uh…" His hand curled up into a fist slowly, refraining himself from getting too nervous.  "Before you say anything positive, we got something big incoming."

The fireteam stared up at the sky as the Darkness swallowed the sky. Inch by inch, the red clouds disappeared into the shadowy dark. The wind began to pick up, swirling around everything in its path. The ground below them softly rumbled. A species of birds flew by frantically, desperately seeking escape from the unknown.

"The Darkness…" Jarvis trailed off in fear.

Tanis peered at the empty space by his left shoulder, instinctively searching to read Dinklebot's shelled expression. The energy and spirit of his friend hung there, but no ghost floated in sight. Tanis' eyes fell to the ground and closed them for a second, storing away the pain emanating from his core. He bitterly spoke, "We don't have The Traveler to save us this time."

"Tanis is right. We need to go." Malachi peered down on Alaura as a worried feeling bubbled in his chest. Her back was turned to him, yet studying her composure alone made it seem as if she froze in place. No emotion. No thought out movements or words. Speechless. He turned to see if he could catch a glimpse of Tanis, who was already making his way towards them. Calm, composed, but with a pep in his step that could suggest panic.

Alaura's eyes fixated on the Darkness. It got tangled with the branches and vines of the jungle, consuming the leaves and wildlife. She took a reluctant step back as a sickening feeling overcame her stomach. So many people were going to die. It wasn't fair. This whole situation wasn't. Regardless of the situation, there was only one thing left to do. "Okay. Ghosts, pull the ships in. We're going to follow the big transport out of here." She pointed at the civilian ship taking off at the bay.

Tanis ran to his jumpship, which wasn't placed too far from his station. The ghosts could help run communications through his helmet because it was the same armor tech, but anything further than that was beyond their reach. With a heavy core, Tanis held his head up high as he started pushing buttons on the console.

The guardians took off after the civilian transport. The Darkness crept closer with each bleak second. Tanis glanced out the glass to see it swallow up most of the city. His metal chest heaved, mimicking the action of taking labored breaths like he had when he was human. _This isn't going to end well._ The thought crossed his mind, and only strengthened the feeling of hopelessness when a red light lit up the cockpit. His blue optics searched for any indication on what the problem was. "My ship is almost out of fuel. I'm not going to make it out of the atmosphere."

Panic increased as the Vex shot sniper bolts at them. A direct hit jolted Malachi's jumpship to the side, nearly colliding with Alaura's. He called out in brief shock, "I'm taking hits!" He swerved his ship to the other side. Bolts flew upwards, painting the black sky in red streaks. Macey attempted to guide him through the swarm, until his ship jolted once more from a critical hit. A red alarm blared in the cockpit, informing him of a fire and several mechanical failures. Malachi hit a few buttons as his heart raced. "Shit!"

Alaura hurriedly glimpsed at both ships. Possibilities and backup plans buzzed through her mind as her heartbeat sped up. She exhaled in an attempt to calm herself and ordered, "Jarvis, I'm a target in this. Send it to the ground. We'll use it again when we regroup." She glanced around and immediately grabbed a parachute. "Take me out of the ship, please."

"Working on it," Jarvis replied, his voice a little uncertain.

"Use the parachutes. I'm jumping now." Alaura fastened the parachute around herself and took a few deep breaths.

Both teammates responded simultaneously, "Got it."

Fireteam Riptide fell into the world. The Darkness above them swallowed the last working ship. For a moment, there was silence, other than the wind around them whipping in their ears. Then, a flash of red struck inside of the dark; a chorus of screams echoed and grew louder each given second. Everyone aboard the destroyed ship fell along with the fireteam, except their bodies were on fire. The ship above them came apart like a flower, alloy and fusion flash, pierced through and through by the force of The Darkness. Giant pieces of hot metal surged passed them, hitting some of the citizens on the way down, instantaneously killing them on impact. The fireteam could see the whole earth below them, and the sky they fell out of was black without stars.

Tanis wanted to contort his face so badly. The guilt he felt inside yearned to be expressed, but all he could muster out was a defeated statement, “We can’t save them...we can’t save any of them…”

Words couldn't express what was happening around them. Civilians burned to death as they fell out of the damn sky. Malachi couldn't imagine the suffering those people were enduring. His lips wavered until he clenched his jaw. “Where are we landing?”

Alaura closed her eyes for a second, trying to scrub away the memory from her mind. The screams. God, the screams echoed all around them. She almost yelped from the heartache, but bit her tongue. Strength held the trio together. Weakness would create doubt from unclear minds. She took a silent, shaky breath before answering, “Near the courtyard of the school. It’ll be away from the debris.” Once low enough, they activated the parachutes and steered towards the courtyard.

The Darkness covered the sky, swallowing the last bit of sunlight. It was as if someone flipped a light switch, changing the day to a night without the moon and encasing the land in eternal darkness. Gunshots blindly rang out in the distance. Screams of panic and agony erupted from the direction of one of the academy’s buildings. Footsteps. Running. Sobbing out of fear. Worst of all, the fireteam heard the sounds of metal clanking as Vex marched around them.

The ghosts turned on their flashlights, but the light barely made it three feet in front of them before it abruptly ended. The Darkness’ effects slowly dwindled their hope in what was going to happen next. Alaura inhaled and exhaled slowly, drawing in a level-headed thought process on what to do next. Jarvis turned to her as she promptly ordered, “Stay together. We don’t know what’s out there.” Side-by-side, the guardians cautiously ditched the parachutes and walked through the courtyard in the direction of the screaming.

Deadly mixtures of the force that is The Darkness and the planet caused parts of the surface to rumble from deep within the ground. The fireteam stood steady for a moment as the rumble turned into violent shaking. Nearby, the volcanoes erupted, allowing bright blue lava to flow out onto the sides. The lava lightly illuminated the area as it burned the green nature below.

The land behind them tore apart. Lava from beneath the surface lit up the surrounding area. Jagged edges of rock jutted out. Buildings along the edge collapsed, crumbling into the abyss that The Darkness had created. Water from the rivers fell into the crevice like waterfalls. Screams bounced off of the buildings as people inside were taken down to their demise.

The fireteam watched in awe and fear. This… _force_ , or whatever it was, changed a planet's ecosystem in mere minutes. The ghosts stared in silence, taken aback by how quickly it worked compared to The Traveler's efforts. Shouting broke the fireteam out of their trance as a few soldiers ran towards them.

Red bolts departed from the pitch black area ahead of them and killed the soldiers on impact. Their bodies collapsed onto the ground with a loud thud. The guardians nearly jumped out of their bones from the sight.

Without knowing where the shots originated from, Alaura panicked, throwing her arms out in order to form the Ward of Dawn. The purple luminescence gave them an idea of their surroundings, but anything outside the bubble was unknown. Tanis remained quiet, moving his hand upwards to touch the light that formed the bubble in wonder. Malachi held onto his hand cannon tighter with both hands, watching the opposite side for enemies. Alaura moved closer to the edge, narrowing her eyes to focus in on what was near. The area around them silenced, and only the humming of the bubble was audible.

Something moved in the shadows, yet it was too difficult to tell. It seemed the Darkness swirled around in the air, as if that were the way it always moved, regardless of if it already took over the area. Alaura furrowed her brow and held her gun close, finger near the trigger. Vex marched forward closer to the bubble. She called out, “Vex twelve-o-clock!”

Malachi watched as Vex joined the formation on the opposite side. He held his hand steady, pointing it directly towards the first Vex in front of him. “They’re surrounding us.” He shot a round; the bullet didn't breach the bubble.

Tanis noticed and cocked his head to the side. Thoughts swarmed his mind on what the bubble could be doing. He took an educated guess, “The shield must be impenetrable on both sides. We have to wait for them to come in before we attack.”

“How do you know they can get in?” Alaura questioned. She raised her automatic rifle and moved from side-to-side to monitor the Vex's positions.

“It’s made of Light. I would be curious if they _couldn’t_ get in,” Tanis admitted. Despite still being upset at them, gaining new observations on the Light's capabilities intrigued him. He grabbed his scout rifle and got it ready. The bubble wouldn't last forever.

Vex circled all around them, tightening formation as they marched closer. The sounds of clinking metal feet got louder with each agonizing second. Their single red eyes became more clear the closer they got. Goblins and hobgoblins were the only types there, ready to get their metal hands dirty with guardian blood.

The fireteam stuck their weapons outside of the bubble, allowing them to shoot the first shots. Some Vex fell with a huge _clunk_. The others teleported passed them, unfazed by the loss of their own. The enemy surged closer as more rounds went off, taking down robots one after the other.

The fireteam inched backwards towards the center of the bubble. Some Vex stepped through the Ward of Dawn and shot their blasters. Alaura kicked some enemies back and shot their white cores until they exploded. Tanis pushed his hand forward, releasing fire upon the enemies. The flames scorched the Vex over time, causing some to collapse lifeless. Malachi threw out a blue grenade. It split on impact, creating multiple projectiles that sought out multiple Vex. Two exploded, taking out the last enemies within the bubble.

The team backed up more until they were back-to-back. The Vex waited outside of the Ward of Dawn, preparing to have their weapons trained on the guardians. All that could be heard was the calm breathing and small movements the fireteam made. All three of them baked in their armor, but held their composures.

Tanis watched as the bubble flickered. “What do we do now?”

The red-eyed emotionless stares sent a chill down Malachi's spine. He waited a moment before reporting deeply, “Light them up.” The Ward of Dawn extinguished, allowing The Darkness to eat whatever light was left. Then, it was an all out war.

The only sources of light they had to go off of were the red eyes staring them down. The bullets shot from their guns created a spark of light, illuminating the area for a split second each time. The team remained in formation as they lit up the enemies.

When the hand cannon ran out of bullets, Malachi switched to his heavy machine gun. He mowed down enemies like a tidal wave. Tanis let his murderous side take over. One-by-one, enemies dropped from the sidearm shots directed at their milky white cores. He worked in overtime to reload quickly and manage to catch another enemy before they shot a bolt at his head. Alaura took out her rocket launcher and blew the enemies in front of her to bits. She let out a light laugh and loaded another rocket in. This wasn't supposed to be fun, but the adrenaline coursing through her gave her a surge of energy. She was alive now more than ever.

More Vex teleported in, pinning the fireteam down where they were. Shrieks arose from the buildings nearby, causing Alaura to perk up. "We have to help them."

Tanis asked skeptically, "How? We have enough to worry about!" He launched a solar grenade that locked onto one of the goblins. It exploded, sending pieces of the robot everywhere.

"Those cries were from students!" Alaura surged ahead, breaking formation. She ran out of ammo for her rocket launcher and switched to her fusion rifle. One shot rang out, burning two Vex into oblivion.

Malachi clenched his hands, knowing just what he had to do. He conjured the energy inside of himself, and hoped for the best. His hands glowed blue, and steadily, his whole body emanated the same hue. Lightning tangled around his body; blades formed in his hands and he let out a small, giddy laugh. The Vex didn't stand a chance. He launched himself forward, knifing enemies left and right. Bodies dropped like flies as he flew through the crowd, creating a safe path for his team to take. The way he moved appeared like lightning, quick and surging through the air.

Tanis covered Alaura as she found the group of students that screamed. They huddled together in front of a locked building. One of them frantically attempted to remember the code to gain access. Lydia stood amongst them, tears causing her mascara to streak down her cheeks. Alaura kept it short and simple, "Get inside. Is there a ship you can access somewhere?"

Recognizing the voice, Lydia threw herself into Alaura's arms and sobbed into her shoulder. Taken aback, Alaura took a second before wrapping her arms around her best friend. "We will protect you," Alaura stated softly.

One of the students spoke up, "There's a hangar on the other side of this building. My dad let me borrow one of his ships."

Lydia released the Titan and brushed her tears away. She sniffled, fear still clear in her soft voice, "We c-can get there through this building. I…I just remembered the code."

Alaura glanced back at her fireteam. Malachi nearly doubled over on the steps as Tanis took over, raining a hailstorm of bullets onto the Vex using his own machine gun. She turned back, putting another clip into her rifle. "Lock the doors behind you."

"What about you?!" Lydia typed the code into the keypad. The doors opened and she flipped around, staring at Alaura with a shadow of doubt and fear across her features.

"We'll hold them off for as long as we can, and get the hell out of here. Go to the last city on Earth! You'll be safe there under The Traveler." Alaura responded. Her heart raced as the Vex drew closer. Lydia still stood there, waiting as if she were frozen from the fear of losing another friend. "I promise. Go keep those kids safe." After a second of hesitation, Lydia nodded and locked the door behind her.

Alaura bit her lip in worry. If Vex could teleport, who's to say they couldn't get into the building right there and then? Those kids would be annihilated…not even given a chance. She shoved the thought out of her mind and fired on the Vex. “Jarvis, can you get the jumpship to light the area?”

“Right away.”

The jumpship arrived in two minutes, illuminating everything in the vicinity. The fireteam kept their weapons trained on the enemies, not letting up for a second. Alaura got hit in the shoulder; she quickly bit back the stinging pain and launched a suppressor grenade. Malachi glanced back at her in worry. In the next second, he threw a knife and hit a hobgoblin right in the core. Tanis reloaded his machine gun with one hand, and used the other to shoot enemies down with his sidearm.

After ten minutes, the fireteam began to feel overwhelmed. Minotaurs, Harpies, and Hydras teleported in, sending dread throughout the team. The students had enough time to get the hell out of dodge. Now was their turn before it was too late. Alaura had Jarvis pull the ship down to allow them all to get inside, and let the ghost be their escape pilot.

The Vex had completely taken over Ishtar Academy.


End file.
